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NEW YORK (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is moving for politician of New York, her run announced Friday.
In a video, Stefanik called Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul “the worst politician successful America” and called New York “the astir unaffordable authorities successful the nation.”
Stefanik, who represents a coagulated reddish legislature territory successful upstate New York, has for months teased a tally for governor, leveling dense disapproval astatine Hochul and much precocious toward Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City.
“I americium moving for politician to bring a caller procreation of enactment to Albany to marque New York affordable and harmless for families each crossed our large state," Stefanik said successful a connection issued Friday.
Last year, President Donald Trump picked Stefanik, a staunch ally, to beryllium the administration's ambassador to the United Nations, but months aboriginal rescinded the information implicit concerns astir Republicans' choky margins successful the House.
Though immoderate Republican faces agelong likelihood of winning the governor’s mansion successful New York, Stefanik’s run volition bring coagulated sanction recognition, fundraising prowess and heavy ties to the Trump White House. Her run announced Friday that she has received the backing of astir three-quarters of the state's region Republican chairs.
In a statement, Hochul run spokesperson Sarafina Chitika called Stefanik “Donald Trump’s fig 1 cheerleader successful Congress.”
“Apparently, screwing implicit New Yorkers successful Congress wasn’t capable — present she’s trying to bring Trump’s chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state,” Chitika said.
The Republican superior tract remains unclear up of the 2026 race. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler had been contemplating a tally and was considered a perchance beardown candidate, but said earlier this twelvemonth that helium would alternatively question reelection successful his battleground House territory successful the New York Hudson Valley.
Hochul is facing a contested primary, with her ain lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, moving against her.
Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, was 30 erstwhile she was archetypal elected to the House successful 2014. She entered Congress arsenic a mean Republican but soon attached herself to Trump, reshaping her persona into much of a brash, outspoken MAGA disciple.
Her nationalist illustration got a large boost aft she aggressively questioned a radical of assemblage presidents implicit antisemitism connected their campuses, starring to 2 of their resignations and winning praise from the Republican president.
Democrats person a large elector registration borderline successful New York. The past Republican politician successful the authorities was erstwhile Gov. George Pataki, who near bureau astir 2 decades ago. Still, Republican Lee Zeldin, a erstwhile Long Island congressman and existent caput of the Environmental Protection Agency, made a superior tally for the bureau successful 2022, coming wrong striking region of upsetting Hochul.
