NEW YORK – Rep. Elise Stefanik has officially announced her campaign for New York governor.
What we know:
Stefanik released a video on Friday morning titled: “From the Ashes.”
“From the ashes of Kathy Hochul’s failed policies, New York will rise,” a narrator said in the video, which concluded with the official announcement.
What they’re saying:
“Kathy Hochul is the Worst Governor in America,” Stefanik said in a statement. “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. Hochul has created a crime crisis with failed bail reform and her support of Defund the Police candidates. And when New Yorkers were looking for leadership the most, Kathy Hochul bent the knee to the raging Defund the Police Tax Hiking Antisemite Communist who will destroy New York. I am running for Governor to bring a new generation of leadership to Albany to make New York affordable and safe for families all across our great state. Our campaign will unify Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to Fire Kathy Hochul once and for all to Save New York.”
The other side:
In response, Hochul Campaign Communications Director Sarafina Chitika released a statement: “Sellout Stefanik is Donald Trump’s number one cheerleader in Congress and his right-hand woman in his war on New York: gutting health care, jacking up costs with expensive tariffs, and cutting funding for our police, schools, and hospitals. 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. While Stefanik puts Trump first and New York last, Governor Hochul is lowering costs, cutting middle-class taxes, and fighting for the New Yorkers Stefanik abandoned.”
Dig deeper:
Rumors swirled back in April that the upstate New York congresswoman was seriously considering a run after receiving encouragement from state Republicans, Trump allies and major GOP donors.
SKIP TO: NY GOV. POLL | WHO’S RUNNING?
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is up for re-election in 2026.
Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, speaks during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via G
Hailed by President Donald Trump as “a star,” Stefanik rose to national prominence for her defense of Trump during his impeachment hearings, serving on the House Intelligence Committee and playing a key role on his impeachment defense team.
US Representative (R-NY) and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R) reacts next to US former President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiser
Trump, who has long been an outspoken supporter, posted on Truth Social earlier this year, writing: “Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!”
Who is Elise Stefanik? 
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 08: (L-R) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) attend a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and fellow Congressional Republicans in the State Dining Room at the
Now in her sixth term, Rep. Elise Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional District and is currently the most senior elected Republican in the state.
Born in Albany, she graduated from Harvard University before working in the George W. Bush administration on the U.S. Domestic Policy Council and in the chief of staff’s office.
UNITED STATES – JANUARY 21: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations, arrives for her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Tuesday, January 21
At age 30, Stefanik became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress in 2014 and later the youngest woman to serve in House leadership. In 2021, she was elected House Republican Conference Chair, making her the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress.
Trump pulls Stefanik UN nomination
In a last-minute political pivot, President Trump has withdrawn Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The decision comes amid growing concerns about maintaining the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives ahead of key budget battles and the 2024 midterm elections. FOX 5’s Sharon Crowley has the story.
A longtime supporter of Trump, Stefanik was reportedly considered for the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations earlier this year, though the nomination was later withdrawn.
Committees and leadership roles Senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Education and the Workforce Committee, and House Intelligence CommitteeFounding member of the China Task ForceServes on the Elected Leadership Committee and Steering CommitteeMember of the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People’s Republic of ChinaBoard of Trustees member, Harry S. Truman Scholarship FoundationFounder of E-PAC, an organization dedicated to electing Republican women to Congress, helping nearly triple their representation in the House Incumbent Kathy Hochul 
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul COVID-19 press briefing to address rising cases in the state and new variant Omicron at NYC office. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Stefanik would face incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has been governor since 2021. Hochul announced her intention to run for re-election in July 2024.
She would also be up against Hochul’s lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. In June, Delgado announced that he would challenge Hochul for the Democratic nomination for governor of New York in 2026.Â
Antonio Delgado 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 06: Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado speaks during the NYREC Emerging Leaders and Markets (ELM) Conference at the Victoria Renaissance Hotel on June 06, 2025 in New York City. Delgado spoke during the event which brings together lea
It’s rare for a lieutenant governor to run against a sitting governor, but Delgado, known for taking an unconventional political path, left Congress in 2022 to serve as Hochul’s No. 2.
Bruce Blakeman 
Baldwin, N.Y.: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman celebrates reelection at the Nassau Republican GOP headquarters on election night at the Coral House in Baldwin, Nov. 4, 2025. (Photo by Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said Wednesday he’s considering a run for New York governor, just a day after his decisive re-election victory on Long Island. Blakeman told The Post he plans to meet with party leaders across the state in the coming weeks before making a decision.
NY gov polls
A Siena College poll in Aug. showed Hochul leading Stefanik 45–31%, down from a 23-point lead in June, though voters say if Stefanik were elected governor, it would be bad for New York by a margin of 49–37%.
The Source: This report is based on information from the Associated Press.Â