Trump ally Elise Stefanik out of NY governor’s race, won’t seek reelection in Congress

MANHATTAN (CN) — U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik is out of the New York governor’s race, announcing Friday that she is not only suspending her campaign to run the state, but also giving up her seat in Congress next year.

“While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for governor and will not seek reelection to Congress,” the New York Republican said in a social media post. “I did not come to this decision lightly for our family.”

The fierce ally to President Donald Trump added that, “while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.”

It’s a stunning turn for New York’s gubernatorial race, as Stefanik was polling as the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary, though early surveys still showed her trailing current Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul by double digits.

A recent Siena University poll showed Hochul leading Stefanik by 19 points in a hypothetical general election matchup.

As it stands, all roads for the primary now run through Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — another ally to the president whose entrance in the governor’s race earlier this month foiled Stefanik’s unopposed bid for Republican backing.

Stefanik’s exit now nullifies the prospect of a potentially ugly primary war that would have pitted two MAGA mainstays against each other, possibly benefitting Hochul and the Democrats.

In a statement on Friday, Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohue likened Stefanik to Mike Lawyer, another Republican congressperson who prematurely ended his rumored bid to challenge Hochul.

“Just like Mike Lawler, Elise Stefanik saw the writing on the wall and knew she would lose — big — to Governor Hochul,” Donohue said. “The fact that two major candidates who planned to run against Governor Hochul have now called it quits tells you just how formidable the governor is.”

Stefanik, a former moderate Republican-turned-staunch Trump ally, announced her campaign for governor in November by releasing a fiery campaign video that blamed Hochul’s tenure as governor for a “catastrophe” in the state.

“Kathy Hochul made New York the most unaffordable state in the nation, crushing families with sky-high taxes, unaffordable rent, soaring energy costs and record high grocery bills,” a voiceover in Stefanik’s campaign announcement says.

The video concludes with the slogan: “It’s time to save New York.”

She made the announcement on Nov. 7, just three days after democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral race, becoming the Muslim and South Asian to lead the Big Apple.

Stefanik, perhaps known best for her pro-Israel beliefs, has repeatedly referred to Mamdani as a “raging antisemite communist,” calling back to Mamdani’s extensive criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war on Palestinians.

At the time, Stefanik’s entrance in the race seemed to be a direct counter to Mamdani’s victory. She even chided Hochul for her endorsement of the incoming mayor in a social media post.

“When New Yorkers were looking for leadership from our governor, she bent the knee to the raging Defund the Police, Tax Hiking Communist causing catastrophe for New York families," Stefanik wrote.

Stefanik has been the U.S. representative for New York’s 21st Congressional District for the past decade, now in her sixth term representing upstate counties in the capital region surrounding Albany. She emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal supporters during his 2019 impeachment over accusations of Russian interference in his presidential election victory.

Last year, Trump tapped her to be the ambassador to the United Nations. But he later rescinded the nomination over concerns about Republicans’ tight lead in the House of Representatives.

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