Multiple people were removed from Rep. Mike Lawler’s town hall in Westchester County during the chaotic meeting on Sunday night.
Lawler, a self-styled moderate Republican and potential candidate for governor, spoke to about 600 constituents in Somers. It was the second in a planned series of town halls hosted by the Republican representative for New York’s 17th District.
“This is what democracy looks like,” Lawler said at the beginning of the event, which was met by groans from the audience.
During one question about tariffs, a group of uniformed officers surrounded a woman in the seats. The crowd chanted “Let her stay! Let her stay!” during the standoff. Video obtained by NBC News showed the officers physically picking the woman up from her seat and carrying her out of the building.
The woman was one of three people removed from the town hall by officers. A photographer with the Rockland/Westchester Journal News captured her flashing two peace signs as she was carried out.
Lawler faced boos, jeers and groans throughout the contentious night, as he attempted to defend President Trump’s policies in a moderate district.
At another town hall last week in Rockland County, Lawler clashed with residents who criticized his support for a Republican budget that will likely force deep cuts to Medicaid.
Lawler’s district was one of three nationwide that elected a Republican representative despite preferring Kamala Harris to Trump in the November election. Democrats consider the district a key target in the 2026 elections.
With News Wire Services
