In a video Friday, November 7th, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik announced she is running for governor of New York, launching a campaign that ended months of speculation about her political future and immediately reshapes the 2026 race. She will challenge Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, who is seeking a second full term and faces a June primary against Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.
Stefanik has been a vocal critic of Hochul on issues including crime, taxes, immigration and housing, previewing a combative general-election campaign. Democrats quickly signaled they will tie her to Trump and argue she backs policies harmful to New York.
The North Country Republican, first elected in 2014 as the youngest woman to serve in Congress at the time, enters the race as her party’s clear frontrunner after securing swift backing from state GOP Chair Ed Cox. “She has fought for our principles every day of her career and never backs down,” Cox said. “She is the warrior we need to lead the fight against Democrats’ corrupt Albany machine. There will not be a Republican primary, and a year from now, Elise will lead our team to victory over Kathy Hochul, end one-party Democrat rule, and make New York affordable again.”
A former bipartisan-leaning lawmaker who worked for President George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, Stefanik became a national GOP figure during President Trump’s first impeachment, later rising to House GOP conference chair after Republicans removed Rep. Liz Cheney from the role. She has since aligned closely with Trump, endorsed his comeback bid early, and emerged as a leading party fundraiser.
Republicans have not won a statewide election in New York since 2002, though the party nearly upset Democrats in recent cycles — including Lee Zeldin’s close 2022 gubernatorial bid and Trump’s stronger-than-expected 2024 showing in the state.