In a recent turn of events, Rockland County legislator Beth Davidson, a Democratic candidate, has faced criticism for her campaign tactics against Republican New York Rep.
Mike Lawler.
Davidson had previously accused Lawler of voting against funding for a public works project in his district, an allegation she later retracted. This flip-flop has led to her campaign being dubbed as "amateur hour."
Davidson, who is among several Democrats vying to unseat Lawler in the hotly contested House district, had claimed that the two-term congressman voted to cut federal funding for a water quality improvement project in the Hudson Valley seat.
However, after a series of tweets aimed at exposing Lawler's alleged failure to secure funding for his constituents, Davidson eventually admitted that Lawler had indeed secured the necessary funds for the project in the previous fiscal year. She conceded her error on Twitter, quoting a line from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing: "[A]s Jerry Orbach famously said in Dirty Dancing, when Im wrong I say I say Im wrong."
Lawler, who triumphed over former New York Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones in the previous election, has a track record of securing funding for public works projects in New Yorks 17th District. This is achieved through congressionally-directed spending, also known as "earmarks." According to a statement issued in March 2024, Lawler successfully directed nearly $36 million in community project funding to his district during the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process. This amount is four times larger than what his Democratic predecessor managed to secure during the 117th Congress.
Lawler had also issued a press release in June 2024 about securing approximately $2 million for the clean water project as part of his congressionally-directed spending requests. "Projects like these, while not flashy, are more important than almost any other," Lawler stated in the release.
Despite Lawler's successful procurement of federal dollars for the project during the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, Davidson accused the GOP lawmaker of voting to eliminate funding for the same project by supporting a March spending bill that funded the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2025. Lawler repeatedly clarified that Davidson's claims were inaccurate, pointing out that she was confusing the fiscal year in which he secured the funding.
Davidson's tweet, which included a screenshot alleging that Lawler had defunded the clean water project, was deleted from her Twitter page after the Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to her campaign for a comment.
Lawler and his campaign have accused Davidson of intentionally misleading voters and questioned her understanding of basic budget reading. "Before Beth Davidson lectures anyone on how government works, she should learn how to read a budget and tell the difference between two fiscal years," said Chris Russell, campaign spokesman for Lawler, in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The controversy began when Davidson posted a photo of herself smirking in front of a road sign thanking Lawler for securing federal dollars for a clean water project in the district. "Driving thru Putnam County and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a sign touting Mike Lawlers now-defunded clean water project," Davidson wrote on Twitter. "Oh dear!"
Lawler responded by advising Davidson to delete her post and improve her understanding of the funding process. He reiterated that he had secured funding for the public works program during the previous fiscal year.
Davidson continued her attack on Lawler the following day, accusing him of voting to defund the same water quality improvement project. Lawler once again clarified that the award money was part of the $36 million that he helped secure in fiscal year 2024.
Lawler questioned Davidson's credibility as a congressional candidate, asking, "How do you expect people to take you seriously as a congressional candidate if you dont understand the difference between fiscal years and intentionally lie to people?" He also assured that all of the FY25 projects are being resubmitted and will be delivered to the municipalities as promised, despite Davidson's "bizarre cheerleading" against them.
Davidson also accused Lawler of voting to "rip away" the $33 million in community project funding by voting for the GOP spending bill. She stood by this claim when questioned by the Daily Caller News Foundation about its accuracy.
Lawler had requested approximately $33 million in community project funding for New Yorks 17th District for fiscal year 2025. However, due to a failure to reach an agreement on passing appropriations bills through regular order, Republican lawmakers passed a stopgap government funding bill in March to prevent a potential government shutdown. This funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, did not include earmark requests from any lawmaker and largely maintained government spending at current levels.
Lawler, along with other lawmakers from both parties, is expected to resubmit requests to secure federal funding for community projects in their districts in future appropriation cycles.
Republican lawmakers, including Lawler, have blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for failing to take up the appropriations bills that passed the House last Congress. This failure, they argue, partly led to the FY25 congressionally-directed spending not being signed into law. "Davidson can also thank fellow clueless New York Democrat Chuck Schumer for this mess," Russell said. "Hes the one who failed to pass a single appropriations bill through the Senate, resulting in the need for a CR to keep the government funded and open."
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which is expected to vigorously defend Lawlers seat, criticized Davidson for attempting to "fearmonger and lie about her opponent." "This is an amateur hour campaign from a radical candidate, and voters will reject her resoundingly," said NRCC spokesperson Maureen OToole.
Lawler is one of 35 Republican incumbents that the House Democrats campaign arm is aiming to defeat during the midterms. He is one of three Republican congressmen who won in November despite former Vice President Kamala Harris carrying their district, which Trump lost by less than a percentage point.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Reports early estimate of the race rates the contest as "Lean Republican."
Lawler was ranked as the sixth most effective lawmaker in the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress despite being a freshman representative, according to the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) jointly managed by the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University. The CEL found that he was the most effective lawmaker among all members in their first term during the previous congress that concluded in December.
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