THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley danced near one another at the Suffern Street Fair over the weekend.
- Lawler posted the footage himself, calling it a bipartisan dance-off.
- The lighthearted encounter followed sharp debate exchanges in their race for New York’s 17th Congressional District.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Mike Lawler and Cait Conley have finally found something to do together that doesn’t require a moderator to restore order: dance.
The Republican congressman and his Democratic challenger crossed paths at the Suffern Street Fair over the weekend and joined the music. Lawler then did something political consultants don’t always recommend: He published the evidence himself.
The 47-second clip includes air guitar from Lawler and energetic dancing from Conley. The live band supplied the soundtrack; the congressional candidates supplied material for the internet.
Lawler called it a “bipartisan dance off.”
“Even during the heat of a campaign, it’s good to have a little fun,” he wrote in his Sunday post.
Great time at the Suffern Street Fair — even found opportunity for a little bipartisan dance off with @CaitforNewYork!
Even during the heat of a campaign, it’s good to have a little fun. https://t.co/GqRQ7V5vQ1
— Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) October 18, 2026
Fair enough. Washington has spent years telling us bipartisanship is dead. Apparently, it just needed a street fair.
Local coverage identified the band as Incidental Contact. A fitting name for two opponents who have spent the fall trying to knock each other off the political stage.
Lawler is seeking another term representing New York’s 17th Congressional District. Conley, a Democrat with a national security background, is trying to take the seat from him.
Their recent encounters have been considerably less musical. Debate exchanges have included immigration policies, their records and competing claims about who best represents the district.
During last week’s final debate, Lawler pressed Conley on sanctuary policies and her New York ties. For this encounter, both candidates temporarily traded the cross-examination for a beat.
The reaction depended on who was watching. The Yonkers Times welcomed the friendly moment. The Daily Beast went with a mocking treatment of Lawler’s dancing.
Naturally. A Republican can’t even play an imaginary guitar without somebody assigning a national political meaning to the fingering.
There’s a real election behind the clip, with voters choosing their representative November 3. But for a brief stretch, the contest was about rhythm rather than attack ads.
No concession speech. No ceasefire agreement. Just two candidates letting the band do the talking.
And one congressman apparently confident enough in his moves to handle his own opposition research.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Yonkers Times: Good to see Lawler and Conley dancing together in NY-17
- Rockland News: Mike Lawler and Cait Conley dance at Suffern Street Fair
- New York Post: Rep. Mike Lawler rips Cait Conley’s sanctuary policies in fiery final debate
- The Daily Beast: MAGA goon’s mortifying dance-off caught on camera
