It all came down to a matter of priorities.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who had previously announced she wouldn’t be running for re-election in 2026 in favor of trying for the Empire State’s governorship instead, announced she’s dropping that campaign as well.
“I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to save New York,” Stefanik wrote in a social media post on Friday, December 19. “However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.”
Stefanik had entered the gubernatorial race in November specifically to challenge the sitting governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul. But the entrance of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to the race complicated things. Both Blakeman and Stefanik are Trump allies.
After Stefanik’s announced withdrawal from the race, the Republican Party rallied behind Blakeman, now the only GOP candidate in the field.
Stefanik Leaving Politics Behind
The congresswoman also said she would not return for re-election to the House, either, and will be leaving politics – at least for now – when this current term is up. Up to this point, the 41-year-old was considered a rising star in Republican politics. However, family concerns have been pulling her away for a while. Stefanik, who has a four-year-old son, told reporters that the boy is her family’s priority right now. She also admitted that she considered not running for re-election in 2024 but ultimately decided to do so because she wanted to help President Trump.
As for pulling out of the governor race, she said it simply came down to being realistic about her chances of beating Hochul and not wasting resources. “It was pretty straightforward, whether it was Blakeman or somebody else. It didn’t really matter; we would win that primary,” she explained. “Our theory of the case is that, in a challenging state like New York, you need to have a clean shot. And that was not the case.”
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