CaliToday (08/11/2025): The top Trump ally enters the 2026 race, framing the election as a "rescue mission" for an "Empire State that has fallen" under Democratic rule.
ALBANY, N.Y. — Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a top-ranking House Republican and one of President Donald Trump's staunchest allies, officially launched her campaign for Governor of New York on Friday, November 7, 2025.
In a blistering announcement, Stefanik pledged to "rescue the Empire State from the disastrous rule of Kathy Hochul."
"Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America," Stefanik declared in her launch statement. "Under her failed leadership, New York has become the most expensive state in the nation, with the highest taxes, energy prices, rent, and cost of living crushing hard-working families."
Stefanik is framing the 2026 race as a referendum on public safety and economic affordability. She blasted the incumbent governor for fueling a "crime crisis" through "failed bail reform" and support for the "Defund the Police" movement, leaving New Yorkers to "live in fear on their own streets."
Her campaign's launch video, titled "The Empire State Has Fallen," features a narrator stating, "The spirit of the Empire State cannot be broken. All we need is a courageous leader willing to stand up and fight."
Speaking to The New York Post, Stefanik projected confidence, citing her travels across the state. "The overwhelming support from Republicans, independents, and even moderate Democrats shows one thing clearly New York needs a new governor to save the future of this state."
Hochul Fires Back: "Bring It On"
The announcement immediately triggered a fiery exchange. Governor Hochul, responding on the social media platform X, dismissed Stefanik as a proxy for the president.
"Elise Stefanik isn't running to serve New Yorkers, she's running to serve Donald Trump and increase your cost of living," Hochul wrote. She concluded with a direct challenge: "My message to Trump's number one ally: bring it on."
Stefanik shot back, attacking Hochul's political alliances. She criticized the governor for supporting New York's newly-elected Socialist Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, whom Stefanik labeled "an extremist communist who will destroy New York."
"Hochul has once again chosen to side with criminals and communists," Stefanik said, "instead of New York's people."
A Test of MAGA in a Blue State
The race is already shaping up to be fiercely competitive. An October 28 poll shows Stefanik with a narrow lead, topping Hochul 43% to 42% in a head-to-head matchup. She leads Democratic Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado by a wider margin, 43% to 37%.
Stefanik has also effectively consolidated her party's support. She has already received 56 endorsements from GOP county chairs, accounting for 72% of the total weighted vote far exceeding the 50% threshold needed to become the official GOP designee.
New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox has endorsed her, calling Stefanik "a party unifier who has the intellect, courage, and resources to win statewide."
Stefanik, first elected to Congress in 2014, is seen as a young, powerful leader capable of driving the MAGA movement into traditionally Democratic strongholds. Her national profile was cemented when President Trump nominated her to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She ultimately withdrew her name in March 2025, citing the slim GOP majority in the House and the need for "every single GOP vote" to pass President Trump's legislative agenda alongside Speaker Mike Johnson.
If she wins, Stefanik would become the first Republican woman to govern New York since the mid-20th century, marking a historic turning point in a state politically dominated by socialist-leaning Democrats for decades.