"When Republican US Representative Elise Stefanik signaled in late June of this year that she would challenge Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul for governor of New York, Republican operatives anticipated that the Stefanik-Hochul contest would be one of the premier contests of the 2026 election. A few months later, Stefanik formally launched her bid, with a combative video that tagged her as the "courageous leader ready for the fight" to raise New York from the "ashes of Kathy Hochul's failed policies.""
"Echoing the language of President Trump, with whom the formerly "moderate" Republican representative had closely aligned herself, as well as her MAGA Republican allies in Congress, Stefanik's video hailed her as a candidate who was ready to "stand up to the woke mob" of liberals and Democrats. But now Stefanik is standing down. She announced Friday that she will not run for governor."
"What gives? Stefanik offered the standard politician's excuse that she just wanted to spend more time with her family. She indicated that she didn't want to have to compete in a Republican primary for the governorship-even as she claimed that she "would have overwhelmingly won it." But savvy observers of New York and national politics had what sounded like a more plausible explanation."
Elise Stefanik initially signaled a 2026 challenge to Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and formally launched a combative gubernatorial bid that echoed President Trump and MAGA rhetoric. Her launch video billed her as a "courageous leader" who would "stand up to the woke mob" and revive New York from Hochul's "failed policies." Stefanik subsequently announced she will not run for governor and will not seek reelection to her northern New York House seat. She cited family time and avoiding a Republican primary while claiming she "would have overwhelmingly won it," though opponents predicted she was "going to lose."
Read at The Nation
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