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Trump Loyalist Elise Stefanik Launches Run For New York Governor

Rep. Elise Stefanik, the onetime moderate Republican turned staunch MAGA ally of President Donald Trump, announced on Friday that she is running for governor of New York.

Stefanik’s entry into the race sets up what is likely to be one of the most closely watched elections of the 2026 campaign season.

In the lead-up to the launch of her campaign, Stefanik had been relentlessly attacking incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), calling her “the Worst Governor in America,” seizing on her endorsement of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

“Now more than ever, New Yorkers need a strong check and balance in the Governor’s Office to counterbalance jihadist terrorist sympathizer Commie Mamdani,” Stefanik wrote on X, joining the chorus of Islamophobic attacks Mamdani has faced from right-wing pundits.

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Her campaign video announcement on Friday reinforced that theme.

“I am running for Governor to make New York affordable and safe FOR ALL. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will unify to save our state. It’s time to: FIRE HOCHUL. SAVE NEW YORK,” she wrote in the caption.

Her two-and-a-half-minute video did not reference Trump at all.

New York hasn’t had a GOP governor in nearly 20 years, with George Pataki being the last Republican to hold the post from 1995 to 2007.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., questions the panel of witnesses during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing on “Antisemitism in Higher Education: Examining the Role of Faculty, Funding, and Ideology” on Capitol Hill, on July 15, 2025, in Washington.

Trump had picked Stefanik to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but later withdrew her nomination over concerns that Republicans could lose her seat in a special election, further limiting their already-small majority in the House of Representatives.