‘Sopranos’ Edie Falco Rails Against Mike Lawler in New York Congressional Race

After playing the female lead in one of the most iconic, influential series of all time, actress Edie Falco starred in a selfie video on election eve urging voters to support the Democratic challenger to Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York.Ms. Falco, who won Emmy awards and international fame playing Carmela Soprano, the wife of mobster Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini, did not mention Mr. Lawler’s challenger, Cait Conley.“We are in great danger of losing our country,” Ms. Falco said in the video released by the community organizing group, Plus-One for America, which is based in New York’s 17th Congressional District. “We need to get our democracy back.”Ms. Falco has a home at Pound Ridge in Westchester County, which is within the borders of the 17th district. Mr. Lawler, a political strategist and former state lawmaker, flipped the district from blue to red in 2022.“Our district can make the difference,” Ms. Falco said to the camera. “We can flip the House from red to blue.”Ms. Falco has a history of activism, but typically for animal rights causes. In July, she testified before the New York City Council in favor of a bill phasing out horse-drawn carriages. It passed the council last month. In 2024, she did wade into her district race, supporting the one-term Democratic congressman, Mondaire Jones, in a challenge to Mr. Lawler to reclaim the seat.“This is important,” Ms. Falco said of Election Day.Ms. Conley is a former Army officer who led the election security efforts for the Cyber Security Infrastructure Security Agency during the 2024 election. New York’s 17th district has more registered Democrats than Republicans but has been politically competitive under Mr. Lawler. Most observers rate it as a toss-up, with Cook Political Report saying Mr. Lawler outperformed President Trump in the district in 2024 and has support from Jewish voters who could sway the race.Ms. Falco starred on “The Sopranos” from 1999 to 2007 and later was the eponymous lead in the show “Nurse Jackie” on Showtime. Her endorsement of Ms. Conley brought an angry reply from the Italian American Civil Rights League, originally founded by mob boss Joseph Colombo in 1970. Mr. Colombo, like the fictional Carmela Soprano, has also been immortalized in dramatic television. “Italian Americans resoundingly support family, faith and freedom — true American ideals — and soundly reject the socialist principles the Democratic Party has come to embrace,” the leader of New Jersey’s chapter of the league, Jacqueline Tobacco, told The New York Sun. “Unfortunately, Edie Falco is another in a long line of celebrities who are using their platform to push a DSA narrative.”It’s unclear whether Ms. Falco’s endorsement will have an impact or is just white caps on a blue wave.

‘Sopranos’ Edie Falco Rails Against Mike Lawler in New York Congressional Race

‘Sopranos’ Edie Falco Rails Against Mike Lawler in New York Congressional Race

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