Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik announced she is ending her New York gubernatorial campaign and will not run for re-election to the House, saying a contested primary would squander time and donor resources and emphasizing family priorities. Her withdrawal follows Bruce Blakeman's entry into the GOP primary and comes after President Trump withdrew her nomination for U.N. ambassador in March. The decision creates an open seat in New York's 21st District and highlights leadership changes and tensions within the House GOP.
Elise Stefanik Drops New York Governor Bid and Will Not Seek Re-Election to Congress
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik announced Friday that she is ending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek re-election to the U.S. House. In an extended post on X, the Trump ally said she had "not come to this decision lightly for our family" and emphasized that, beyond her public role, "my most important title is Mom."
Decision Cites Family And Avoiding A Protracted Primary
Stefanik said that, although she believed she would "overwhelmingly" win a Republican primary, it would not be a prudent use of time or donor resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary, protracted primary in a politically challenging state like New York.
"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."
Context And Political Fallout
The surprise announcement came days after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman formally entered the GOP primary. Earlier this year, in March, former President Donald Trump withdrew his nomination of Stefanik to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; after that setback she had publicly teased a gubernatorial bid and formally launched her campaign in November.
Stefanik's decision to leave Congress at the end of her term creates an open race in New York's 21st Congressional District — a largely rural area stretching from the Albany region to the Canadian border. Donald Trump carried the district by more than 20 percentage points in 2024, though some Republicans had worried the seat could be vulnerable in a special election if Stefanik had been confirmed as U.N. ambassador.
New York GOP Chair Ed Cox quickly endorsed Blakeman following Stefanik's announcement and urged party leaders to follow suit. The Hochul campaign seized on the news: spokesman Ryan Radulovacki said, in effect, that Stefanik had "acknowledged reality" and suggested she would have lost to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Leadership Changes And Broader Implications
The move also underscores internal tensions within the House GOP. In recent weeks Stefanik had grown more openly critical of Republican congressional leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson. Earlier this year she was replaced as House GOP conference chair — a No. 4 leadership post that had made her the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House.
Stefanik's U.N. nomination had been reported favorably by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but never received a full-Senate confirmation vote. After the nomination was withdrawn she returned to the House without her prior leadership title.
Former President Trump praised Stefanik after her announcement on Truth Social, calling her "a tremendous talent" and saying, "She will have GREAT success, and I am with her all the way!" The announcement follows other high-profile Republican departures from Congress, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's planned resignation in January.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
