Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Rep. Elise Stefanik launches bid to be New York’s next governor
By
Jon Campbell
and
Jimmy Vielkind
Published Nov 6, 2025
Modified Nov 7, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Jon Campbell
and
Jimmy Vielkind
Published Nov 6, 2025
Modified Nov 7, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Rep. Elise Stefanik launched a 2026 campaign for New York governor Friday, arguing the high cost of living and concerns about public safety should be pinned on the state’s ruling Democrats.
Her entrance to the race sets the stage for one of President Donald Trump’s top allies in the House of Representatives to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection bid. Stefanik announced her run in a Friday morning video that drew on previously broadcast interviews.
“Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Stefanik said. “Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent and grocery bills.”
Stefanik is a top-ranking House member who has represented much of northern New York since 2014. She has spent months laying the political groundwork for a gubernatorial campaign, traveling the state to meet with GOP leaders and help them raise funds while strongly suggesting she intended to enter the race.
The conservative Republican will attempt to defeat Hochul at the ballot box in next year’s election, assuming Hochul survives a primary challenge. But as with any Republican, Stefanik faces an uphill battle in deep-blue New York. The state has twice as many Democrats as Republicans and hasn’t elected a member of the GOP to the governor’s office since George Pataki, who served from 1995 through 2006.
Hochul’s campaign immediately tied Stefanik to Trump, who is viewed unfavorably by 61% of New York voters, according to a Siena University poll released in September. The same poll found Hochul leading Stefanik by 25 points, though other surveys have shown a smaller lead.
“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,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said.
Politico and the New York Times first reported Stefanik’s campaign launch plans. Her path to the Republican nomination received a boost in July, when another potential Republican candidate — Rep. Mike Lawler of the Hudson Valley — declined to enter the race.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who won reelection Tuesday, has floated his own name for governor in recent days, telling the New York Post he'd meet with party leaders about a possible run in the coming weeks.
Stefanik would be the first woman to serve as the Republican nominee for New York governor should she win her party’s nod. Hochul was the first woman to serve as Democratic nominee in 2022.
Stefanik and Hochul have been treating each other as political opponents for much of the year. Stefanik has repeatedly branded Hochul as “the worst governor in America” and Hochul has retorted with a Trumpian nickname of her own — “Sellout Stefanik.”
In recent weeks, Stefanik has delighted in criticizing Hochul for endorsing New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist whom Republicans around the country have been eager to use as a foil in their own races.
Hochul, in turn, has blamed Stefanik and Republicans for the ongoing federal government shutdown and the pending expiration of federal health care subsidies.
Jerry Kassar, chairman of the state’s Conservative Party, said the effectiveness of the attacks will depend on how Trump’s agenda is perceived when voters go to the polls next year. He supports Trump and said Stefanik had greater fund-raising ability than recent GOP candidates.
“They want to create a wall using how they perceive Trump today,” Kassar said. “I am assuming that the Trump policies, which have in my opinion been fantastic for America, take greater hold than New York.”
Hochul took office in 2021 following former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation after previously serving as his lieutenant governor. She won her own full term in 2022, defeating Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin by 6 points, a relatively narrow margin by deep-blue New York standards.
The incumbent governor is also facing a Democratic primary from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, whom Hochul first appointed to the role in early 2022. Their relationship soon soured, with Delgado expressing frustration with his minimal role in her administration. He is now challenging Hochul from her political left.
The 2026 primary election is set for June 23, and the general election will follow on Nov. 3.
This story has been updated to reflect Stefanik's official announcement.
Tagged
Kathy Hochul
Politics
donald trump
elections
new york state
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
Read more
Jimmy Vielkind
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .