U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik abruptly suspended her campaign for New York governor Friday and said she will not seek re-election for her House seat in 2026, making her among the highest-profile Republicans yet to opt out of the midterms.
Stefanik said she made the decision “while spending precious time with my family this Christmas season.”
The six-term congresswoman was the biggest name in the GOP field hoping to knock off incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“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 said in her lengthy social media post.
Stefanik’s decision comes less than two months after she launched her campaign in November with an affordability-focused broadside against Hochul, declaring “the Empire State has fallen.”
Following her announcement, President Donald Trump praised Stefanik as a “fantastic person” and said he supports her decision.
“Elise is a tremendous talent, regardless of what she does. She will have GREAT success, and I am with her all the way!” Trump said in his own social media post.
New York GOP Chair Ed Cox released a statement following Stefanik’s announcement, saying she will “remain a leader in our party and a powerful voice for our principles.”
Cox immediately endorsed Bruce Blakeman, the Republican county executive of Nassau County on Long Island, who announced his gubernatorial run last week.
Stefanik, who gained prominence as a boisterous supporter of Trump, represents an upstate district and currently serves as chair of House GOP leadership.
Her decision to not run for another term adds to a growing list of more than two dozen Republican members not returning to their seats after the 2026 midterms due to retirements or seeking another office, including Rep. Nancy Mace, who’s running for governor in South Carolina, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW.