FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ciro Riccardi | ciro@lawlerforcongress.com | (845) 642-6569
Lawler calls their bipartisan working relationship
“a model for what Congress should be”
Pearl River, NY — September 21, 2026 — Congressman Mike Lawler today welcomed the “incredibly rare” endorsement of Democratic Congressman Jared Golden of Maine, and said their relationship – built on bipartisan cooperation, moderation, and putting people before party – is a model of how Congress should operate.
Rep. Lawler and Rep. Golden, who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, have worked together on several bipartisan initiatives during their time together in Congress — including protecting collective bargaining rights for federal workers as part of the “Protect America’s Workforce Act”, as well as defending Northeast fishing communities from burdensome federal regulations via the recently passed “Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act.”.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to accept the endorsement of my friend, Democratic Congressman Jared Golden,” said Rep. Lawler, who has rolled out several cross-party endorsements from Hudson Valley Democrats in recent weeks. “While we are from different parties and different states, Jared and I have worked during our time together in the House to find common ground on issues that matter both to us and our constituents. We share a firm belief that what’s best for the people should come before one’s party, and that if more members on both sides of the aisle took that approach more often, the country would be better off for it.”
Lawler and Golden are both widely recognized as two of the most bipartisan Members of Congress; both willing to take positions at odds with their own party’s leadership and leverage their independence in a closely divided House to get things done for their constituents.
Continued Rep. Lawler: “As I’ve said many times, I do my best to abide by the sage advice of former Democratic New York City Mayor Ed Koch, who famously said: ‘If you agree with me on nine out of twelve issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on twelve out of twelve issues, see a psychiatrist.’ In a nutshell, that is how both Jared and I approach our jobs in Congress and our relationship with each other. He’s from Maine and I am from New York. We are never going to see eye-to-eye on every issue, and that’s ok, but we share a commitment to being serious and deliberate about finding common ground and getting things accomplished.”
“My opponent’s entire campaign message is built on a blatant lie, which is the bogus claim that I vote with my party 100% of the time,” added Rep. Lawler. “Not only is that attack inconsistent with the facts, but it’s rendered even more absurd and unserious when I earn endorsements like this one, from a principled, moderate Democrat like Jared Golden who knows that is not remotely true. Sadly, Cait Conley doesn’t know anything about bipartisanship. She is running as a paint-by-numbers, partisan rubberstamp who agrees with Kathy Hochul’s dangerous Sanctuary State policies, doesn’t have the courage to disavow Zohran Mamdani and Democratic Socialists, and who just last week promised to drag the country into two more years of gridlock by coming out in favor of impeaching the President and other members of his Administration if she is elected. The Hudson Valley deserves better.”