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Rep. Mike Lawler was just named the fifth-most vulnerable member in Congress in the country by Roll Call. And the top guy, Rep. George Santos was just arrested on federal charges. But if Santos falsely inserted himself into situations – Goldman Sachs, Spider-Man on Broadway, Congress – Lawler legitimately seems to be in the middle of just about every political story this week. And the Republican is making sure to seize the spotlight. The man who was once a political consultant and Assembly member at the same time seems to have adopted a strategy of getting on TV and talking, talking, talking.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” Lawler told City & State today. “The president is coming here. We have a migrant crisis in the city that’s impacting my district. There’s a lot of stuff going on right now, and if given the opportunity I’m going to make sure my voice is heard in my district.”

Sure enough, President Joe Biden is coming to SUNY Westchester Community College today, right by Lawler’s 17th Congressional District, to pressure Republicans to raise the debt limit without major spending cuts. (The college is technically in Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s district, but it’s right on the border.) Biden chose the swingy suburbs for a reason, as he hopes the party can win back Lawler’s seat, and more, in 2024. But instead of ceding ground, Lawler told the White House he’s going to the speech, “maybe to their surprise.” Signal to Dems he’s a team player? “I talk to anybody and everybody, I always have,” he said, touting some votes across the aisle in Albany and Washington, D.C.

Read more here about Lawler making the rounds.

The number of members in the leaner, meaner New York City Council Progressive Caucus after the well-publicized paring down earlier this year. And all 20 could get visited from a video truck from the Police Benevolent Association saying they want to “defund the police” and they “won’t keep you safe!” The PBA tweeted a video last week from Christopher Marte’s Manhattan district and promised more stops on the tour, but the PBA was silent on when or where. We may be five weeks out from early voting, but digital ad on a box truck season is already in full swing. Somebody funded a truck calling out Kristin Richardson Jordan for her poor attendance in the council, but it isn’t clear who’s paying for it. The PBA and the New York City District Council of Carpenters said it wasn’t them, and all of her opponents denied knowledge. Truck depot entrepreneur Bruce Teitelbaum, no fan of KRJ, swore he didn’t pay for it but, “whoever was behind it? Clever guy.”

New York City Council Member Darlene Mealy is back in the council after four years away due to term limits. But is she really back? The Brooklyn Democrat was absent for 46 of her 145 meetings so far this term – an absentee rate of 32%, according to records reviewed by City & State. That’s far worse than any of her neighboring members, like Crystal Hudson, who has been absent for just two meetings since the beginning of 2022. Of the whole council, only Richardson Jordan had a worse attendance record, after the New York Post reported she was absent almost half the time. Mealy’s colleagues have noticed. “Members literally make bets during stated to see when and if she will come,” said one fellow lawmaker. Mealy even missed the budget vote last year, making her the only one of the 51 members not to show. Mealy didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

Mealy keeps her head down and gets little attention outside District 41, but insiders think she’s vulnerable in 2023. Isis McIntosh Green is the former chief of staff to Assembly Member Latrice Walker and she’ll have the backing of the whole Una Clarke-Rep. Yvette Clarke Central Brooklyn political family. New York City Housing Authority tenant leader Reggie Bowman is also running. But don’t underestimate Mealy. She shocked close watchers of the council by unseating top speaker candidate Alicka Ampry-Samuel – another Clarke ally – with a late spending spree in the 2021 primary.

Somehow, someway, both Hiram Monserrate and Andy King are back on the ballot for their respective City Council primary races. Monserrate made it after a judge ruled that the law specifically written to keep him off the ballot didn’t actually apply to him. And King is back after a judge ruled that term limits laws apply to council members who were removed but not expelled.

But these two former members haven’t totally secured their comeback chances yet. Expect the city to appeal in Monserrate’s case. And the city’s appeal in the King case is scheduled for this afternoon.

King’s potential opponent in the Bronx, Council Member Kevin Riley, wasted no time dropping a fundraising link on Thursday and got easy support from council colleagues. Monserrate’s frequent foe in Queens, Francisco Moya may not get the same love from his colleagues, given the bad blood that existed before, during and after the speaker race. But having Monserrate as the alternative has helped earn Moya lots of love, thousands in outside spending, and wins again and again and again.

Queens (?) man arrested, charged

There were dueling events in Harlem on Saturday. At noon, Rep. Adriano Espaillat and former Rep. Charlie Rangel endorsed Inez Dickens for Council District 9 … Then at 1 p.m., Manhattan Democratic Party boss Keith Wright, Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell and 2021 council candidate William Allen endorsed Yusef Salaam for District 9 … The Muslim Democratic Club of New York endorsed seven Democratic council incumbents, plus Salaam … Public intellectual Cornel West also endorsed Salaam … Youth climate group TREEage is endorsing a slate of council incumbents, including Tiffany Cabán in District 22 and Jennifer Gutiérrez in District 34 … The Uniformed Fire Officers Association endorsed George Grasso for Queens district attorney … The New York League of Conservation Voters backed a bunch of Democratic incumbents for City Council, plus Tony Avella in District 19 … Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal and the League of Humane Voters of New York also endorsed Avella … the New York City Central Labor Council endorsed another round of council incumbents, including Julie Won in District 26 … The City pointed out that the Labor Strong coalition did not endorse Won because of a fight with 32BJ SEIU, but it didn’t back her opponent Hailie Kim either, and members of the group are still behind Won – so not a biggie.

Keeping it in the family? Liz Gereghty isn’t campaigning for the 17th Congressional District using the surname, Whitmer, that she shares with her sister, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. But she is sharing political consultants. Jim Margolis, who has advised Whitmer, is now consulting for Gereghty, along with his fellow partner at communications firm GMMB, Anson Kaye. And Carissa Best will be Gereghty’s campaign manager, as Politico previously reported … Speaking of family, see that Keith Wright endorsement of council candidate Yusef Salaam? Not a surprise – Wright’s son Jordan Wright is Salaam’s campaign manager.

City Council District 43 in southern Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Bensonhurst and Gravesend

Incumbent: None – this is a newly drawn district

2020 census demographics: 54% Asian, 27% white, 15% Hispanic, 1% Black

2021 mayoral general election results: Curtis Sliwa (Republican): 60.1%; Eric Adams (Democratic): 35.2%; All other candidates combined: 4.6%

Who’s running: Wai Yee Chan (D), Susan Zhuang (D), Stanley Ng (D), Ying Tan (R), Vito LaBella (R)

Several City Council districts in southern Brooklyn were substantially adjusted to help draw this one, uniting many Asian residents who were previously split among multiple districts. Wai Yee Chan, executive director of social service nonprofit Homecrest Community Services, has the most major supporters, including from state Sen. Iwen Chu, City Council Member Justin Brannan and PSC-CUNY. Susan Zhuang, chief of staff to Assembly Member William Colton, is running with his backing and support from the New Majority NYC while retired computer programmer Stanley Ng has former Council Member Margaret Chin, from Manhattan, on his side. All three Democratic candidates are Chinese, and each has raised a similar amount. Candidates’ camps have criticized each other on residency, but it might not stick. Chan lives in Queens, while Zhuang recently moved back from Indiana and Ng recently moved back from Florida.

On the Republican side, Vito LaBella, who is white, was swapped in after petitioning to replace Jack Ho, who is Asian, angering some who wanted to see another Asian Republican elected in neighborhoods that just sent Assembly Member Lester Chang to Albany. Ying Tan, who is Chinese, is also running, but LaBella may be tough to beat, after falling just 500 votes short of Chu in last year’s state Senate race. That proves the GOP has a real shot to pick up another seat in this district, where Sliwa got nearly double the votes Eric Adams did in the 2021 mayoral race.

Thanks for reading City & State NY’s Campaign Confidential newsletter, where City Hall Bureau Chief Jeff Coltin is covering the biggest races in New York, from the City Council to district attorneys, and looking ahead to the 2024 elections.

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