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Elise Stefanik on whether she'll run for NY governor: What she said
Rep. Elise Stefanik is holding off for now on a decision about the 2026 governor's race, saying she'll announce her plans after New York's elections for county and local offices on Nov. 4.
Stefanik, a Saratoga County Republican who has represented northeastern New York for more than a decade, gave that extended timeline after another Republican opted out of the governor's race on Wednesday, July 23. Rep. Mike Lawler of Rockland County had been weighing a challenge against Gov. Kathy Hochul since last year but announced he will seek re-election instead.
His exit clears a path for now for Stefanik, who plans to keep up the suspense for more than three months.
"As I have previously stated, I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year," she said in a statement right after Lawler's decision was reported on Wednesday. "I will make a final decision and announcement after this year's November election which we are all focused on."
Stefanik hinted at gov run earlier this year
Stefanik, 41, emerged this spring as a potential rival for Lawler, revealing in April that she was considering the next governor's race. That came after another political ambition fell through — President Donald Trump withdrew her nomination to be United Nations ambassador out of concern Democrats might win her vacated House seat in a special election.
Republicans hold a thin majority in the House and needed to retain every seat in case of close votes.
Stefanik is a close Trump ally who represents New York's 21st Congressional District, a giant swath of upstate bordered on two sides by Vermont and Canada. She routinely bashes Hochul as "the worst governor in America" and she got a chance to grill her potential opponent in person last month, when Hochul and two other governors testified at a House hearing on sanctuary state policies.
Her campaign announced this month she had raised a whopping $4 million from April to June and had more than $11 million in her House campaign accounts.
Hochul gears up for campaign, faces familiar rival in Delgado
Hochul, who took office in 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor, won a full term in 2022 and plans to run for a second next year. Her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, is her only declared challenger at this point, having launched a campaign in June to run against her in a Democratic primary in June 2026.
Ambassador bid: Elise Stefanik's district, reelection: What to know about the NY congresswoman
Hochul's campaign, meanwhile, reported a nearly $12 million haul since January for her own re-election account and the state Democratic Committee.
In addition to Stefanik, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is seen as a potential Republican candidate for governor in 2026. He's up for re-election as county executive this November and is unlikely to announce before then a decision on the governor's race.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Elise Stefanik on whether she'll run for NY governor: What she said
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