FILE – Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
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**NEW YORK** — U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a close Republican ally of President Donald Trump, announced Friday that she’s running for governor of New York. In a campaign launch video, Stefanik depicted the state as being “in ashes” due to lawlessness and a high cost of living.
In the video, a narrator declares, “The Empire State has fallen,” painting a grim picture of crime and economic crisis in New York City. While highlighting the challenges in the city, Stefanik’s message appears to target more conservative parts of the state she will need to win over in 2026.
“Under Kathy Hochul’s failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery prices crushing hardworking families,” Stefanik said in a statement.
Stefanik represents a conservative congressional district in upstate New York and has for months hinted at a gubernatorial run. She has leveled heavy criticism at incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul and, more recently, at Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City.
Last year, Trump nominated Stefanik as the administration’s ambassador to the United Nations but later rescinded the nomination due to concerns about Republicans’ narrow margins in the House.
Although any Republican faces long odds to win the governor’s office in deep-blue New York, Stefanik brings solid name recognition, proven fundraising ability, and deep ties to the White House. On Friday, her campaign announced that she has secured the backing of nearly three-quarters of the state’s county Republican chairs.
In response, Hochul campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika called Stefanik “Donald Trump’s number one cheerleader in Congress,” adding, “Apparently, screwing over New Yorkers in Congress wasn’t enough — now she’s trying to bring Trump’s chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state.”
The Republican primary field remains unsettled ahead of the 2026 race. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, previously considered a strong potential candidate, decided earlier this year to seek reelection in his battleground House district in the Hudson Valley instead.
Meanwhile, Hochul faces a contested Democratic primary, with her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, challenging her for the nomination.
Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, was just 30 when first elected to the House in 2014. She originally entered Congress as a moderate Republican but soon aligned herself closely with Trump, becoming a prominent supporter of his MAGA movement. Her national profile rose sharply after she aggressively questioned a group of university presidents regarding antisemitism on their campuses, contributing to two resignations and earning praise from the former president.
Despite Democrats holding a significant voter registration advantage in New York, the 2022 gubernatorial race proved competitive. Former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, now head of the Environmental Protection Agency, came within striking distance of defeating Hochul. The last Republican governor, George Pataki, left office nearly twenty years ago.
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