Republican congressman holds event in Somers
Voters in Rep. Mike Lawler’s suburban New York swing district, which includes Philipstown, unloaded a barrage of criticism on the Republican during a raucous town hall in Somers on Sunday (May 4), peppering him with questions around President Donald Trump’s aggressive agenda before devolving into a chaotic chorus of boos as attendees were removed by law enforcement.
Lawler has promised to hold town halls in Dutchess and Putnam counties in June. He hosted one in Rockland County on April 27 that was equally raucous.
The event in Somers began to teeter off the rails soon after it began. The first crack emerged when Lawler, in his opening remarks, told the packed prep school auditorium: “This is what democracy looks like.”
Laughter crept through the crowd.
A little while later, the congressman’s mention of federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew loud jeers.
“So you want, for instance, petroleum-based dyes to continue?” Lawler asked in response.
Republicans, in some instances, have made themselves scarce in their home districts following Trump’s first few months in office, as party leadership expresses wariness of viral blowback against Republicans in vulnerable seats.
Lawler, a moderate who last year won a second term and has openly expressed interest in running for governor, has instead put himself in front of voters.
On Sunday, Lawler’s staff required people to RSVP and set up a series of ground rules, including that attendees live in the district, not record at the event, refrain from shouting or standing, and “be respectful of one another, of staff, and of the congressman,” a sign at the door read.
At one point, as Lawler was responding to a question about tariffs, security and law enforcement began to surround a woman in the upper stretch of the auditorium. The crowd chanted “let her stay, let her stay” before law enforcement picked her up and carried her out. It was unclear what exactly led to her removal.
“Shame! Shame! Shame!,” the audience yelled.
Lawler tried to get back on track: “Folks, tariffs are way more complicated than you want to make them.”
The crowd groaned.
“Folks, enough!” Lawler said above the din.
Soon after, another person was removed. Then another.
In the audience, Jeanette Spoor, a 74-year-old retiree, said she wanted to ask Lawler about Social Security and Medicaid but wasn’t called on during the nearly two-hour event. “You’re not helping your constituents if you’re making it hard for them to get help,” she said in an interview. “I have no hopes for this guy.”
Another attendee, Kristi Thompson, 52, said she was bothered by what she said were Lawler’s long-winded answers that didn’t address the substance of the crowd’s questions. “He claims to be available to constituents, but he isn’t,” she said.
The crowd walked out during the final question of the night, which was about protests against Israel. Lawler began to answer but cut himself off as the room emptied out.
“I appreciate everybody coming out tonight and taking the time to ask your questions and hear my answers, whether you liked them or not, or agreed with them or not, or whether you really actually wanted to listen to them or not, but I very much appreciate you participating,” he said.
I attended Rep. Mike Lawler’s town hall in Somers. Early into the evening, a 64-year-old social worker asked Lawler what it would take for him to call out President Trump’s flagrantly unconstitutional behavior. When Lawler skirted the issue, the woman repeatedly asked (off microphone) for him to answer her question.
Others in the audience joined the call for him to answer the question. This resulted in the woman being removed by security officers and state troopers. As disturbing as this was to witness, more troubling is Lawler’s penchant for labeling those who disagree with him as “radical far-leftist activists,” which is what he did the next day on Facebook.
Another example: Two female constituents wrote an op-ed in The Journal News, warning about the harmful repercussions from likely cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net programs by the Republican majority in Congress. Lawler responded with an op-ed of his own, calling the women (you guessed it) “extremists” and “radical leftists.”
Maybe this is dog whistle for the MAGA base, a shorthand way of saying “pay no attention to these crackpots.” But it’s Lawler’s job to represent everyone in District 17, not just those who agree with him.
Lawler likes to portray himself as moderate and bipartisan. But dismissive, contemptuous and dishonest name-calling does nothing to elevate the “conversations” that he purports to want with voters, nor does it inspire trust in his leadership.