Rep. Lawler Defends Record and Attacks Rival's Election Tactics on CBS

Rep. Mike Lawler, the Republican representing a New York district, appeared on CBS News on Nov. 1 to defend his record and attack his Democratic challenger, Cait Conley, as the midterm election approaches. The congressman said he expects to win the seat on Tuesday, Nov. 3, citing a four-year track record of closing more than 10,000 constituent cases and bringing over $140 million back to the district.

Lawler noted that his office has passed over two dozen bills, 17 of which have been signed into law. He highlighted his bipartisan standing by mentioning that Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, endorsed his re-election just over a month ago. The congressman contrasted his local ties to the district, where he owns a home and pays taxes, with Conley, whom he described as an outsider who moved to the area from Virginia.

The interview addressed key economic concerns, specifically inflation and housing. Lawler acknowledged that wages have not kept pace with inflation over the last six months but pointed to 3.4% growth in the third quarter and the creation of over one million private sector jobs in the past year. He said he helped pass the largest housing bill in 36 years to increase supply and lower prices. Lawler also predicted that a permitting reform bill will pass before Congress adjourns to boost domestic energy supply and reduce costs for consumers in New York, where utility prices have risen 58% under Governor Kathy Hochul.

Healthcare policy formed another major segment of the discussion. Lawler stated that he is committed to working with Democrats to address rising costs, noting that health insurance premiums have increased by 150% since the Affordable Care Act took effect. He said he and Rep. Josh Gottheimer negotiated a bipartisan extension of the enhanced premium tax credit, which House Democratic leaders rejected in favor of a clean three-year extension. The congressman argued that reforms are necessary because insurance company profits have risen by more than 2,000 percent in the same period.

Lawler turned his attention to campaign finance and his relationship with Elon Musk's Political Action Committee, which has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his race. He called Conley the AI candidate for the AI industry, noting she has received payments from two tech firms without disclosing the specific work performed. The congressman said he has led the Stop Rogue AI Act with Gottheimer to set national standards for artificial intelligence agents and require mandatory testing for frontier models.

The final portion of the interview focused on a new Democratic Super PAC called American Forge Group, which began airing ads claiming Lawler supports amnesty for criminal illegal aliens. Lawler said the group has not filed with the Federal Election Commission, violating election law. He added that the FBI and the Department of Justice have informed him they are investigating the spending. Conley's campaign told CBS News it had no role in the mailers sent by the group.