Elise Stefanik, After Having UN Nomination Pulled, Considers Run for New York Governor

After having her nomination for United Nations ambassador pulled by the White House, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is now considering a run for New York governor, according to a high-ranking Republican state party official granted anonymity to speak freely. The source cautioned, however, that it is unclear how serious she is about the effort. Ms. Stefanik is the most powerful Empire State Republican in Congress. Before being nominated to serve at the U.N., she was chairwoman of the House Republican conference — the number four spot in House leadership. After relinquishing that post to go through the Senate confirmation process, the White House yanked her nomination over concerns about the slimness of the Republican majority in the House. Speaker Johnson later appointed her as chairwoman of Republican leadership as a consolation prize. The GOP believes the New York governorship is within reach this time, given Governor Hochul’s unpopularity and the likelihood of a messy Democratic primary fight between the incumbent governor and Congressman Ritchie Torres. According to polling from Marist College released on Tuesday, Ms. Hochul has an approval rating of only 39 percent and a disapproval rating of 46 percent. Among Democrats, 40 percent say she should not seek reelection. “No one knows if it’s serious,” the state party source tells the Sun of Ms. Stefanik’s potential run for governor. “She wanted to run last time, when Lee Zeldin ran” in 2022, the source adds. “I think she feels miffed. She felt like it was her time,” the state GOP official adds. When asked if Ms. Stefanik has been calling party officials to garner any support, the source said, “No, that’s not happening. I would’ve heard about it.”The chairman of the state’s Conservative Party — a smaller, more hardline offshoot of the GOP — Jerry Kassar, tells the Sun that he and his members are excited about a potential candidacy from Ms. Stefanik. “I can say in all sincerity … we very much welcome her entry,” Mr. Kassar says. “We are very pleased to hear she is looking to consider this run”Ms. Stefanik’s spokesman, Alex DeGrasse, tells the Sun that it is untrue that Ms. Stefanik was “miffed” about Mr. Zeldin running for governor in 2022.“Elise decided not to run on her own timeline and had just ousted Liz Cheney in a very high stakes House leadership battle in 2021. She thinks Zeldin was an extremely strong candidate for Governor,” he says.Two other Republicans are widely expected to enter the race for governor in the coming months — Congressman Mike Lawler and the Nassau County executive, Bruce Blakeman. The state party source says Ms. Stefanik’s entrance into the race would be a real “problem” for both men. Despite being a Bush administration alumnus who had a relatively moderate record early in her congressional career, Ms. Stefanik has been one of President Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress — so much so that she was on the shortlist to be his running mate in the 2024 election. Her run for governor likely would not see her shy away from her strong relationship with the president. “I can say this as a born-and-raised New Yorker: New York is Trump country!” she declared at a Madison Square Garden rally with the president just days before the last election. The president could be a serious drag on her campaign should she decide to run, however, given the fact that Mr. Trump has a disapproval rating of about 60 percent in New York, according to a poll from Civiqs.

Elise Stefanik, After Having UN Nomination Pulled, Considers Run for New York Governor

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