Rep. Mike Lawler spoke exclusively to News 12 senior reporter Tara Rosenblum about a drunk driving arrest in his past. The admission comes as he runs for reelection in one of the most closely watched House races in the country. Lawler says St. Patrick's Day 2012 was a night he wishes never happened. He was 25 years old and had just learned his father's cancer had spread to his brain. "You understand the severity of it, and the very likelihood that he wouldn't have too much more time. I ultimately went down to the city and proceeded to drink, made a decision to drive home," he says. Lawler was pulled over that night while driving home from Manhattan near Exit 13 on the Palisades Parkway.

He says he failed a Breathalyzer test and was arrested. The case was later resolved with a DWAI plea.

He says the hardest part wasn't the arrest - it was telling his father, who was a recovering alcoholic and had been sober for nearly two decades. "I was deeply disappointed in myself...but moreover disappointed that I let my dad down," he says. The two-term Republican is now running for reelection against Westchester Democrat Cait Conley in one of the highest-profile House races in the country.

But Lawler says his decision to speak publicly about his past had nothing to do with politics.

He says it was about the students sitting in front of him at Nanuet High School.

He recently shared his story with the graduating seniors, hoping they wouldn't repeat his mistake. "I learned a very important lesson...and hopefully encourage others to make the right choices," he says. Whether this painful chapter of Lawler's past becomes an issue on the campaign trail remains to be seen.