Home>Campaigns>Chris Russell’s business partner will challenge DCCC chairman in N.Y. House race

New York Assemblyman Mike Lawler. (Photo: Mike Lawler).

Chris Russell’s business partner will challenge DCCC chairman in N.Y. House race

Mike Lawler announces bid to challenge Sean Patrick Maloney

By David Wildstein, May 23 2022 1:13 pm

A prominent Republican political consultant with strong ties to New Jersey will take on Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney in New York’s newly-drawn 17th district, which includes Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley.

Mike Lawler and Chris Russell are business partners at Checkmate Strategies, one of New Jersey’s leading campaign firms.   The firm is currently working on congressional races for Bob Healey, Jr. in NJ-3 and Nick De Gregorio in NJ-5 and were the lead strategists for Jack Ciattarelli’s near-upset in the 2021 governor’s race.

Lawler has taken a personal role in some of the races, including Holly Schepisi’s successful bid for the 39th district State Senate seat last year

The 35-year-old Lawler is serving his first term in the New York State Assembly.  He unseated seven-term incumbent Ellen Jaffee by a 52%-48% margin in 2020 in a Rockland County-based district that was predominately Democratic.

“While I was sponsoring over 90 pieces of legislation and co-sponsoring over 340 bills to restore commonsense and conservative values to New York, Rep. Maloney has been Joe Biden’s biggest cheerleader in Washington, DC,” Lawler said.  “After watching from the State Assembly, I knew I had to do everything and anything in my power to stop Maloney, stop Biden, and stop Pelosi from continuing their destructive anti-American agenda.”

Lawler worked on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and managed Rob Astorino’s 2014 campaign for governor against Andrew Cuomo.

Maloney decided to run in the 17th after his hometown was moved out of his old 18th district.  That forced freshman Rep. Mondaire Jones to shop for a new district; he’ll run in the 10th against former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and others.

The new 17th is more favorable to Democrats that the 18th, a swing seat that could feature a race between Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat, and Republican State Sen. James Skoufis.

Charles Falciglia, a Rockland county legislator, is also in the race to take on Maloney.

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