Rep. Mike Lawler accused Democratic challenger Cait Conley of having her campaign take down his yard and billboard signs across New York’s 17th District, citing a post that appeared to show stacked Lawler signs in a car. According to Lawler, the removals have gone on for about a month and only galvanize support. Online users pushed back after the post, with some calling the claim desperate and others saying sign-taking happens on both sides.
The photo appears to show blue Lawler signs piled in a car with metal stakes beside them, including a disclaimer that reads “PAID FOR BY LAWLER FOR CONGRESS INC.” The original poster wrote, “I’m doing my part,” and added, “plucking them out like greys.” The image does not show anyone taking a sign from a lawn or roadside, and it is not clear from the photo where the signs were collected or whether they came from private property.
In his caption, Lawler said that “over the past month” Conley’s campaign had been “taking down our campaign yard signs and billboard signs,” calling it “the dumbest thing” and saying it “does nothing to stop support; it only galvanizes it.”
He also said Conley had “said nothing” about supporters “boastfully taking down signs.” Conley’s campaign has not issued a public response to that specific claim, and there has been no independent confirmation that her campaign directed the removals.
Responses to the New York Campaign Sign Dispute
Some users treated the photo as evidence of theft. “You’re Stealing,” one person wrote, while another asked, “You are admitting to theft?!”
A quote post directed at Conley asked, “Where is your condemnation of this stealing of your opponent’s signs???”
GOP strategist T.J. McCormack wrote that “removing campaign signs is in fact against the law” and that “campaign signs are paid for and owned by others.”
Others challenged Lawler’s account. “You sound desperate,” one reply said. Another argued, “Your supporters are taking down signs as well,” and a third asked, “What’s the actual evidence tying her campaign to it?”
Some focused on the picture itself, noting that the signs looked “nice and neatly” separated and that there was “not a speck of dirt,” while another user said, “Be honest, Mike. This happens on both sides.”
It remains unclear whether the accusation will affect the New York race beyond the posts already circulating. The exchange is now part of a broader debate over campaign tactics as both sides head toward Election Day.
