Elise Stefanik exits New York governor race, says she won't run for Congress again

Elise Stefanik, the youngest woman to have been elected to the US Congress in history, is now planning to drop out of the race for the post of New York governor, and will also not be seeking re-election to the Congress.

On Friday, 19 December (local time), Stefanik made the announcement on social media, wherein she said, "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," adding, "I did not come to this decision lightly for our family."

Stefanik was widely considered the frontrunner to replace current NY Governor Kathy Hochul. However, her bid got challenging when Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau county executive, entered the race.

President Donald Trump also acknowledged her decision and wished her well, saying in a post on Truth Social, "Elise Stefanik, a fantastic person and Congresswoman from New York State, has just announced she won’t be running for Governor. Elise is a tremendous talent, regardless of what she does. She will have GREAT success, and I am with her all the way!"

Ed Cox, the Republican chair of New York, said in a statement that Stefanik will continue to remain a leader in the Republican Party, and that the organisation respects her decision.

“Bruce Blakeman has my endorsement and I urge our State Committee and party leaders to join me. Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in difficult political terrain. As County Executive, he cut taxes, fought against radical leftwing social policies and made Nassau County the safest county in America," he said in a statement, adding, “Working together and with Bruce Blakeman as our candidate, Republicans will defeat Kathy Hochul, end Democrats’ affordability crisis and put an end to New York’s nation-leading outmigration.”

Stefanik, who has said that she will be serving out her term in the Congress, will be following another far-right Republican, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who will also vacate her position in the Congress come January.

Stefanik had earlier clashed with House Speaker Mike Johnson, even going so far as to say in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that Johnson, a "political novice", would not have had the votes to become Speaker if the voting is carried out today.

Stefanik moved from a moderate to staunch MAGA supporter

Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, was elected as a moderate Republican, but later shifted gears towards the far-right. She was vocal in her opposition to Trump's impeachment in 2019.

Stefanik came into the limelight in 2023, when she questioned US university presidents during a televised congressional hearing on antisemitism. It was after her questioning that University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill resigned.

As per a report in Al Jazeera, Stefanik said that she believed Israel has a biblical right to occupied West Bank.

The Zionist Organzation of America had awarded her the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award on 18 March, 2024.