U.S. Representative Mike Lawler is accused of attempting to influence the Democratic primary for his battleground House seat by allegedly directing a staffer to encourage a specific community to vote for candidate Beth Davidson. Davidson's campaign disavowed the alleged interference, stating their focus is on voters.
The allegations suggest a potential attempt by an incumbent Republican to manipulate a Democratic primary, which could impact the general election outcome in a key battleground district and raise questions about campaign finance and election integrity.
U.S. Representative Mike Lawler is reportedly working to influence the Democratic primary for his battleground House seat in New York's 17th congressional district. Allegations suggest Lawler's staffer, Rafi Silberberg, contacted ultra-Orthodox Jewish leadership to encourage members of their community to vote for candidate Beth Davidson.
Lawler has not responded to requests for comment regarding these alleged efforts or whether he instructed Silberberg to make the calls. Shortly after Politico reached out to Lawler's team, leadership from New Square, a significant Hasidic community within the district, announced Davidson as their preferred candidate.
Davidson's campaign manager, Ellen McCormick, stated that Davidson has earned endorsements from diverse communities across the district on her own merit and that devaluing this work while sowing division is unbecoming. McCormick added that Davidson's campaign is focused on the voters of NY-17 and not on Lawler's preferences.
Further evidence cited by Democrats pointing to Republican interference includes a super PAC, Progressive Champions PAC, which announced a nearly $1 million TV ad spend against another Democratic candidate, Michael Conley. Democrats suspect this PAC, which recently registered and has not disclosed donors, is funded by Republicans due to its use of the same Alabama bank as another PAC linked to Republican involvement in other primaries. Davidson has publicly disavowed the PAC, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who resides in the district, criticized the group's alleged attempt to manipulate the primary outcome.