**Watch Out, Kathy Hochul: A New Challenger Emerges for New York Governor**
There’s a new challenger in the race for New York governor, and it’s Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik. Representing the Empire State’s 21st congressional district since 2015, Stefanik has officially launched a bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul in the 2026 election.
This announcement, revealed in a November 7 exclusive by the New York Post, didn’t come entirely out of the blue. The recent election of Zohran Mamdani — a socialist and Islamist — as the next mayor of New York City seems to have galvanized Republicans, prompting them to kick off what many believed to be an already brewing campaign.
### Stefanik’s Bold Entrance
In the early hours of November 7, Stefanik took to social media with a two-and-a-half-minute video montage sharply criticizing Hochul’s tenure as governor. The accompanying statement began bluntly: “Kathy Hochul is the Worst Governor in America.” It continued:
> “Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery bills. When New Yorkers were looking for leadership from our Governor, she bent the knee to the raging Defund the Police, Tax Hiking Communist causing catastrophe for New York families.”
### Hochul’s Campaign Responds
A spokesperson for Hochul’s re-election campaign fired back, stating:
> “Apparently, screwing over New Yorkers in Congress wasn’t enough – now she’s trying to bring Trump’s chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state.”
### A Proxy Battle for New York
This election is quickly shaping into a battle marked by stark accusations and political point-scoring. Hochul’s campaign is linking Stefanik to former President Donald Trump, while Stefanik is using Hochul’s support for Mamdani against her.
Stefanik’s campaign video directly accused Hochul of cozying up to a “defund the police, tax-hiking antisemitic communist,” showing images and clips of Mamdani, including one in which the mayor-elect, speaking to a Muslim audience with his face masked, declares: “We came here to remake this state in the image of our people.”
### Polls Paint Mixed Pictures
With the election still a year away, reading into early poll numbers is largely speculative. CBS News cited a Siena College survey from September showing Hochul leading Stefanik by a wide margin: 52% to 27%.
However, a Manhattan Institute poll published on October 28 painted a much closer picture, with Stefanik at 43% and Hochul at 42%, alongside 9% of respondents favoring “someone else” and 7% undecided.
Democrat pollsters have dismissed the Manhattan Institute poll as flawed. One remarked, “I don’t know how or where they screwed this up, but they screwed this up and the data isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”
### The Ties That Bind and the Political Landscape
Mamdani’s rise as mayor of America’s largest city could send shockwaves across New York State, given Hochul’s perceived support for him. For many New Yorkers beyond the Big Apple, this may raise concerns about the direction in which the state is headed.
Yet Stefanik faces an uphill battle. New York has long been a Democratic stronghold and, like California, seems to have shifted from deep blue to midnight blue. This shift reflects the broader political divide gripping the nation, characterized by ongoing redistricting battles where red states seek to erase Democratic districts, while blue states attempt to eliminate as many Republican districts as possible.
New York, as a whole, has become a microcosm of this nationwide ideological struggle.
### What’s Next?
While Kathy Hochul is certainly not easy to unseat, her association with Mamdani places her in a complex position as governor. Meanwhile, Elise Stefanik has secured the backing of one high-profile New York native: former President Donald J. Trump.
This support could prove to be either a blessing or a curse for Stefanik — one of the youngest women ever elected to Congress — as she embarks on this challenging gubernatorial bid.
—
**Stay tuned as the 2026 New York governor’s race begins to take shape.**
https://www.libertynation.com/new-york-new-look-elise-stefanik-vs-kathy-hochul-in-2026/