Rep. Elise Stefanik has been running for governor of New York in a campaign that would ultimately pit her against current governor Kathy Hochul. However, today she announced she was suspending her camapaign.
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.
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 19, 2025
I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and…
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 overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York.
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.
She's referring to a protracted primary because Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman announced last week that he was throwing his hat into the race. President Trump reportedly made a phone call to Blakeman telling him to stay out of the race but that obviously didn't work. So what Stefanik was facing was mission impossible.
Though the six-term representative believes she would have crushed Blakeman in a primary, “we viewed it as a waste of resources,” she says, pointing to how in 2022 the Republican nominee for governor, Lee Zeldin, had to spend $7 million in a relatively uncompetitive primary that left him at a disadvantage against Governor Kathy Hochul. Stefanik allies derided Blakeman’s candidacy as quixotic and “a vanity campaign,” saying it was tantamount to a murder-suicide against Republicans that would guarantee Hochul’s reelection in November.
As congressman and former state GOP chair Nick Langworthy put it, “In New York, you’re fighting a primary for a 20 percent chance to win in a perfect scenario.” Blakeman’s challenge ensured that a perfect scenario would not come to pass.
“It’s going to be a challenging environment, much more challenging than 2022, and the idea of running to the right [in a primary] to then turn around and run to beat the Democrats is a fool’s errand,” he added.
Millions of dollars just to be placed in the wrong position to have a narrow chance of beating Hochul in a blue state.
Stefanik's decision not to seek reelection was perhaps more surprising. Here's the rest of her announcement from earlier today:
And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom. I believe that being a parent is life's greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don't further focus on my young son's safety, growth, and happiness - particularly at his tender age.
I am incredibly grateful to the people of New York's 21st District for entrusting me to represent you in the United States Congress. Thank you to my dedicated staff over the past decade. I am proud of the significant results that we successfully delivered for the hardworking families in our district and across America. It has been a tremendous professional honor to serve as your Congresswoman over the past eleven years.
Thank you for your support and encouragement as my family and I look forward to the next meaningful personal and professional chapter.
Part of the problem here is that Stefanik was set to move up and then had the rug yanked out from under her in a way that set her back.
Trump nominated her to be United Nations ambassador, which was the beginning of an unfortunate series of events for Stefanik. In preparation for the position, she gave up her leadership post and a coveted spot on the House Intelligence Committee. Her confirmation in the Republican-led Senate was virtually assured, but House Speaker Mike Johnson, worried about his thin and increasingly unmanageable majority, pushed Trump to drop the nomination to avoid a special election and risk a Democratic win in a safe Republican district. Trump pulled Stefanik, and she was forced to fight to regain both a leadership position and her committee assignments. The fiasco poisoned her relationship with Johnson, whom she has since openly derided as ineffective and dishonest.
So she has wanted out of Congress for more than a year and the pivot to running for governor was another way to achieve that, but that has also been spoiled by Blakeman's announcement. So now she's just calling it quits after she finishes her current term.
Some have suggested that Stefanik will eventually wind up serving in Trump cabinet in some position. That could still be possible. Given that she'll be out of Congress already a year from January, no one else will have a say in what job she accepts.
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