Labor is turning out for a Republican once again in New York’s Hudson Valley, where Rep. Mike Lawler just banked endorsements from twenty additional labor unions in his bid for reelection in the state’s 17th Congressional District — one of the most closely watched swing seats in the country heading into November.
The fresh wave of support spans building trades, transportation, maritime, and federal workforce unions, including the New York Teamsters, the Transport Workers Union of America, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, and multiple IBEW and operating engineer locals. Combined with eleven law enforcement union endorsements Lawler picked up last month, more than thirty unions are now standing behind his campaign.
“I’m deeply honored to have the endorsements of a broad coalition of labor unions representing the men and women who build our roads and buildings, deliver our packages, run our trains, crew our ships, move our mail, keep our communities safe, and keep the government running,” Lawler said. “I’ll never stop fighting for the workers who are the backbone of the Hudson Valley economy, and I’ll work every day to keep their support and their respect.”
Louis Picani, President of Teamsters Local 456, praised Lawler’s record with working families, saying the union is “proud to endorse Congressman Lawler for re-election.” Thomas Gesualdi, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16, pointed to Lawler’s support for the Faster Labor Contracts Act as a key factor, calling it “a game-changer” that “will empower workers more than any federal law that’s been passed since the New Deal.”
According to Politico’s New York Playbook, Lawler’s union support this cycle is running well ahead of where it stood in 2024, when just 17 unions were in his corner. The New York Teamsters formally announced their 2026 congressional endorsements on August 27, backing Lawler as one of five Republicans on a bipartisan slate of twenty incumbents who all voted for the Faster Labor Contracts Act.
Lawler, who describes himself as a “proud Davis-Bacon Republican,” has built a legislative record courting labor support. He provided the decisive signature on a discharge petition forcing a House vote on the Protect America’s Workforce Act, which restores collective bargaining rights for federal employees, and was one of 20 Republicans to back it when it passed the House in December. He also co-led the bipartisan Safe Tracks Act on rail safety alongside Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, and has championed legislation aimed at protecting transit workers, mail carriers, and the maritime workforce.
Since taking office, Lawler has secured more than $80 million in community project funding and federal investment for the Hudson Valley, a district Republicans and Democrats alike view as pivotal to deciding which party controls the House come January.
With labor increasingly split between the two parties in this year’s midterm fight, Lawler’s growing union coalition is shaping up to be a decisive factor in one of the nation’s premier battleground races.
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