Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, a high ally to President Donald Trump, introduced Friday afternoon that she would droop her marketing campaign for governor of New York, and in addition not run for reelection to the U.S. Home of Representatives, simply months after she launched a bid to attempt to flip the governorship at present held by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“I’m actually humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming help from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all throughout the state for our marketing campaign to Save New York,” Stefanik wrote in a submit on X.
Chairwoman of Home Republican Management, Elise Stefanik is joined by state GOP lawmakers throughout a information convention the place she spoke in opposition to Gov. Kathy Hochul, June 9, 2025, on the Capitol in Albany, N.Y.
Will Waldron/Albany Occasions Union by way of Getty Photographs)
“Nonetheless, as we have now seen in previous elections, whereas we might have overwhelmingly received this major, it isn’t an efficient use of our time or your beneficiant assets to spend the primary half of subsequent 12 months in an pointless and protracted Republican major, particularly in a difficult state like New York.”
She additionally cited desirous to spend extra time together with her son.
Since launching her bid for governor in November, Stefanik had consolidated help from a lot of New York’s native Republican county events behind her, however she faced a primary opponent in Nassau County Govt Bruce Blakeman, who introduced his personal bid.
Trump, whom Stefanik has supported, had declined to endorse both candidate to this point, calling each Stefanik and Blakeman “implausible.”
“To start with, he is a buddy. She’s a buddy. These are two nice folks working in a method I hate to see them I am working towards one another,” Trump stated earlier this month.
President Donald Trump shakes arms with Rep. Elise Stefanik throughout a bill-signing occasion to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 US Olympic ice hockey workforce within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, December 12, 2025.
Francis Chung/EPA/Shutterstock
Stefanik was first elected to signify New York within the Home in 2014, and was on the time the youngest woman to ever win a seat in Congress. She grew to become a rising star within the GOP and joined Home management in 2021 as chair of the Home Republican Convention.
Trump tapped her to be his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations shortly after his election victory in November 2024, praising her in a press release to ABC Information as “an extremely robust, robust, and good America First fighter.”
However months later, Trump stated he was asking her to withdraw her nomination, citing razor-thin margins within the Republican-controlled Home. Stefanik stated she was “proud to be a workforce participant” and step apart.
Trump and White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt reacted to Stefanik’s announcement.
“Elise is an amazing expertise, no matter what she does. She can have GREAT success, and I’m together with her all the way in which!” Trump posted on his social media platform Friday.
Leavitt, who served as Stefanik’s communications director following Trump’s 2020 election loss, referred to as Stefanik an “unimaginable advocate” and a “true buddy to President Trump.”
“Elise Stefanik has been an unimaginable advocate for the folks of her district in Upstate New York, and she’s going to at all times be a real buddy to President Trump. On a private observe, Elise is my former boss. She is a good chief, and a fair higher particular person. We love you, @EliseStefanik!” Leavitt posted on X.
ABC Information’ Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
