Ithaca, New York - Republican Representative Mike Lawler has accused Effie Phillips-Staley's campaign of forging signatures on petitions in order to qualify for the Democratic primaries.
Lawler submitted 30 signed affidavits to a state court on Tuesday, each from a different Rockland County voter who claimed they had never signed their names on petitions collected by the Phillip-Staley campaign.
The implication is that the campaign forged some of the signatures on petitions needed to qualify for the state's June primary ballot.
"I did not sign the designated petition bearing my signature and address," one voter wrote in an affidavit dated April 17 that was cited by the New York Post.
"The signature attributed to me is dated March 25, 2026. At that time, I was away at Cornell University for school and was not present to sign it."
All of the affidavits submitted to the court by Lawler were identical and stated that they did not sign the petitions. Phillip-Staley needs 2,900 signatures to qualify for the Democratic primary in New York's 17th District on June 23.
"Her silence on forged signatures in her own primary is especially damning," said Chris Russell, a spokesperson for Lawler's campaign. "If Democrats actually believe in election integrity, here's their chance to prove it. We're not holding our breath."
But Phillips-Staley hit back against the allegations in an Instagram post on Wednesday, declaring that it was a sign of "how desperate he is to get the progressive kicked off the ballot."
"This is full blown subversion of a democratic process," she said in a video statement. "If you believe and you know, like I do, that Mike Lawler is completely dishonest… then give to this campaign."