Fresh off his successful reelection campaign in one of the Empire State’s swingiest congressional districts, GOP representative Mike Lawler has spent recent days teasing a potential challenge against Democratic governor Kathy Hochul in two years.

Hochul has pledged to seek another term in 2026 after winning her first race in 2022 by just six points against former representative Lee Zeldin, marking the closest statewide race in decades. It’s possible that her low favorability ratings and narrow midterm victory will prompt one or more Democrats to challenge her for the nomination.

Republicans will still have a trifecta in D.C. come 2026, and midterm elections typically hurt the party in power. Nevertheless, Empire State Republicans see statewide electoral opportunity in deep-blue New York given the gains they’ve made in recent years in suburban districts, appealing to voters’ long-running concerns about public safety and illegal immigration. Lawler says that, now, he’s focused on his work in Congress. But running for governor in 2026 is “something we’ll look at in the coming months, and whether or not there’s a viable pathway,” Lawler told National Review in a brief interview in the U.S. Capitol on Friday. “I’ve now won three times in two-to-one Democratic districts because I knew what my pathway was, and we executed.”

Under Hochul’s leadership, the Hudson Valley Republican says, the state now leads the nation in outmigration. “She has been arguably the worst governor in the country. She’s inept, incompetent and feckless,” he added. “Just yesterday, she announced she’s bringing back a deeply unpopular plan to tax hardworking New Yorkers who commute to work. Meanwhile, she’s spending billions of dollars to provide free housing, clothing, education, food, health care to illegal immigrants.”

Another name to watch in this still hypothetical GOP gubernatorial primary is Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman. Other candidates will surely emerge in the coming months.

“I’ve known Bruce a long time. Bruce has done a great job as Nassau County executive,” Lawler said when asked whether he expects Blakeman to run. “We want to make sure we have a strong candidate running, one way or the other. So at the end of the day, I think it’s obviously important to make sure that we have a viable, strong candidate atop the ticket, whether it’s me or somebody else, including Bruce.”