Rep. Elise Stefanik kicked off her 2026 bid for New York governor on Friday with a fiery promise to “clean up Kathy Hochul’s catastrophe” and restore safety and affordability to the Empire State.
“Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Stefanik declared in a post on X. “Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery bills. When New Yorkers were looking for leadership from our governor, she bent the knee to the raging defund the police, tax hiking communist causing catastrophe for New York families.”
Stefanik’s campaign launch video, titled “From the Ashes” and first obtained by The Post, opened with grim images of New York under Hochul’s watch—skyrocketing costs, rampant crime, and an exodus of middle-class residents. “Kathy Hochul’s failed policies are to blame,” the narrator says, adding that the governor’s agenda has made New York “the most unaffordable state in the nation, crushing families with sky-high taxes, unaffordable rent, soaring energy costs and record-high grocery bills.”
In the two-and-a-half-minute video, Stefanik accuses Hochul of aligning herself with far-left figures like New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, calling him a “defund-the-police, tax-hiking, antisemitic Communist.” The narrator vows that “New York will rise, like we always do,” with Stefanik leading the way.
“The spirit of the Empire State cannot be broken. All we need is a courageous leader ready for the fight,” the ad proclaims. “Elise Stefanik will make New York affordable and safe.”
The video portrays Stefanik as a “working mom, congresswoman and fighter,” describing her as someone who “knows families need more help.” It highlights her record of supporting law enforcement, battling “woke insanity in our schools,” advocating for small businesses, and fighting antisemitism on college campuses. “She fought woke insanity in our schools, stood proudly with law enforcement, championed small businesses and will never back down from fighting for New York families,” the narrator says.
Among her legislative achievements, the ad points to her role in raising the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $40,000 and her high-profile grilling of university presidents on Capitol Hill over antisemitic incidents. “She’ll make New York affordable,” the narrator promises. “Elise will reduce your energy utility and grocery bills.”
“We have crisscrossed the state. The overwhelming outpouring of support from Republicans, independents and Democrats is that we need a new governor to save our state,” Stefanik told The Post on Thursday.
In her statement announcing the run, she added, “I am running for Governor to make New York affordable and safe for all.”
The campaign video closes with a rallying message: “With everything on the line, we need someone who will deliver results and make New York affordable and safe for families and small businesses, to not just survive, but thrive.” It concludes with the slogan, “Elise Stefanik for governor. It’s time to save New York.”
Behind the scenes, Stefanik has been quietly assembling what insiders call an “all-star” team of New York political strategists as polls show her running neck and neck with Hochul in early matchups. The upstate congresswoman, a close ally of President Trump, hopes to become the first Republican to lead New York in two decades.
New York GOP Chair Ed Cox hailed her entrance into the race, describing Stefanik as “a unifier and party builder with the brains, the guts and the resources to win.” He praised her as “the warrior we need to lead the fight against Democrats’ corrupt Albany machine,” adding, “She has fought for our principles every day of her career and never backs down.”
“Thanks to Kathy Hochul and Democrats, New York leads the nation in outmigration as the most taxed, least free, least affordable state in America,” Cox said. “There will not be a Republican primary and a year from now, Elise will lead our team to victory over Kathy Hochul, end one-party Democrat rule, and make New York affordable again.”
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