BREAKING: Elise Stefanik Stuns Supporters With Jaw-Dropping Announcement

GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik abruptly dropped out of New York’s race for governor Friday, scrapping a high-profile challenge to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul before it ever reached the starting line.

“While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family,” Stefanik wrote on X.

“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.”

Speculation had been swirling through Republican circles earlier Friday that the close ally of President Trump was reconsidering a run against Hochul, who is seeking another term in 2026.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – July 16, 2024: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) at the Republican National Convention.

Stefanik’s exit clears the way for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, sparing Republicans a potentially ugly and expensive primary fight over who would carry the party banner next year.

Recent polling showed Hochul holding solid leads over both Stefanik and Blakeman, even as more than half of New Yorkers said they want a new governor.

While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family.

I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and…

— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 19, 2025

Trump had notably stayed out of the emerging GOP clash, declining to back either contender as the field began to take shape.
“He’s a friend. She’s a friend. These are two great people running. In a way, I hate to see them running against each other. I hope they’re not going to be damaging each other,” Trump said.

Stefanik, a rising star in the party, had previously been tapped by Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He later pulled the nomination, opting to keep her in Congress amid a razor-thin Republican majority.

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