Stefanik Says She Is Quitting the Governor's Race and Won't Run for Reelection

[coffeenap]

Source: New York Intelligencier

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik says she is dropping out of the New York governor’s race and will not run for reelection to the House after finishing her term in office.

Stefanik’s announcement comes days after Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman decided to challenge her for the Republican nomination for governor. He jumped in the race despite a phone call from President Donald Trump discouraging him from challenging Stefanik, a member of Republican House leadership and a loyal Trump ally.

Read more: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/elise-stefanik-new-york-governor-interview.html

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Threatened by something or someone?

[PJMcK]

1. She realized she would lose bigly

Governor Hochul is doing a fine job in spite of the Republicans.

She will get my vote.

[Mike Nelson]

2. I know...

... Republicans will probably have a better chance without her, but I'm very happy to see her retire! Bye, Elise!

[Prairie Gates]

13. Their choice is the current Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, a MAGA nut

I don't think he has a snowball's chance on Jones Beach in July. He's also, like, a hundred.

[returnee]

55. He an experienced and wily politician

I would not underestimate him. Nor would I underestimate Hochul’s lack of charisma (at least from my perspective) and propensity for political clumsiness. Take nothing for granted. One things for sure: it’ll be ugly. New York is high stakes.

[Prairie Gates]

56. Is it going to be neck and neck like New Jersey?

Blakeman's a clown.

[returnee]

57. Just being cautious.

The guy in Jersey was not experienced. Blakeman is very.

[Ocelot II]

3. Good riddance.

[FakeNoose]

4. She finally realized that Chump's "endorsement" is worthless

[flashman13]

41. No - It's toxic!

[coffeenap]

5. NYT link here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/nyregion/elise-stefanik-drops-out-governor.html

[PatSeg]

6. Good decision on her part

She has the personality and charisma of a damp dishrag. She should have never gone into politics.

[BaronChocula]

7. Quick CNN!

Swoop her up as a "contributor."

[CanonRay]

8. Goodbye Elise, it wasn't good to know you.

May you disappear into the slime mold of history.

[Seinan Sensei]

45. She's probably thinking

“I should have gone blonde.”

[purr-rat beauty]

9. Oh well...

....womp womp

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. This made me smile

Elise Stefanik went from maga darling to the next un ambassador to the next ny governor to has-been in record time. apnews.com/article/stef...

— Oliver Willis (@owillis.bsky.social) 2025-12-19T21:30:31.668Z

[Cha]

23. Stefanik earned it. Curious why she's not

running for reelection? I know someone on this board who is very Happy about that, in ES' district.

[Rhiannon12866]

30. LOL! That would be me, my friend! But I know at least two others on this board feel the same way!

[Cha]

33. Great.. the More the Merrier! Hapy

Christmas!

[Rhiannon12866]

35. Thanks, my friend! Wishing you a Merry Christmas - which just became much merrier for those of us in NY-21!

[Bohunk68]

52. Another NY 21 here!

At the southern end of the district and glad to see her go. We loved Delgado as our Rep. Would easily support him again. However, against Hochul would be a real uphill battle, and the Rethuglicans would cash in on it. At the same time locally, the Rep Suoervisors denied our change of Election Super to the 92 year old who was lost after his wife passed away two years ago. BTW, I'm 82. We have taken them to court on it, because it became REpublicans deciding who the Dem leadership should be. We won the first round, and the BOS is appealing, and we are re-suing.

[Rhiannon12866]

53. Yay! Nice to know you, I just knew that there were more of us here!

And I was in District #20 until we got redistricted in 2013, I grew up in Saratoga now live just north of Glens Falls. My personal favorite was Rep. Scott Murphy who is local to me and I worked on both of his campaigns, he won the special election to replace Kirsten Gillibrand who had been appointed senator when Hillary Clinton became President Obama's Secretary of State. But then he lost the second election to a Republican who supported "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." *sigh*

And good for you! Not to mention that Stefanik just gets worse over time. I remember the protests when she first took office so I have no idea how she's managed to hang on this long. She got much worse after appearing on national TV alongside Gym Jordan during the first impeachment hearing and it's been downhill ever since. On election night 2022 there was a Republican meetup at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls and my friend told me that she took the opportunity to be the first to endorse the convicted felon for 2024.

I know that she got boo'd off the stage in a rare public appearance up north in Plattsburgh, so maybe she took the hint. So glad to meet someone else from District 21 who is glad to see the back of Stefanik, finally. I actually have two friends here on DU, the friend who told me about DU and the friend who joined after I recommended DU to her, but most everyone I know feels exactly the same.

Good to meet you, my new DU friend! Here's hoping that we go back to Democratic leadership here in District 21!!!

[mgardener]

37. Me too

I despise her.

[Rhiannon12866]

42. Thanks! So does everyone I know, so you're hardly alone

And she must have realized that she had no chance when she was boo'd off the stage during her recent public appearance in Plattsburgh!

[Prairie Gates]

11. It was a doomed candidacy

She's better off taking a few years off to get the MAGA stink off of her.

This elderly doo-ta-doo from Lawn Guyland can take the nosedive for the MAGA goofballs.

[catbyte]

19. She'll NEVER get the MAGA stink off of her.

[Cha]

24. Exactly. Stefanik is the "maga stink". nt

[Prairie Gates]

26. If anyone can do it, Dear Elise can...

[IcyPeas]

12. Booed off stage twice.....

[Intractable]

48. That was very satisfying.

[oasis]

54. Wow. That was painful to watch but Elise had

it coming.

[Envirogal]

14. Everything Dear Leader touches, dies

Interesting that she hadn’t put her young son age into account when she made the decision to run for any office.

[not fooled]

17. You beat me to it

Came here to post the same thing--ETTD.

]

[NNadir]

15. When I was a boy, my parents used to take me on vacations to the Adirondacks. Nostalgic, I took my family there once.

Now a man, I was surprised at the racist stuff I saw around there, up in the region of Saranac Lake, even against Italian-Americans. (My wife is half Italian American, second generation.)

Beautiful country, ugly populace.

Stefanik suited that place well, I guess.

[Prairie Gates]

28. Stefanik grew up in Albany, which had the most powerful Dem machine outside Chicago

She went to the Albany Academy for Girls, one of the toniest private schools in the country.

Like most GOPers, she'll play at North Country backwoods bullshit, but she grew up rich in an Upstate Dem stronghold.

[Raftergirl]

58. I'm pretty sure her parents owned a camp in the Adirondacks, so that is her connection to the district.

I’m in Tonko’s district, but the response to her pulling out on my NextDoor is overwhelming. Everyone is thrilled!

I also know from some people in the district that she has hardly been there at all. Not surprised to hear she was booed in Plattsburgh.

Some of my friend’s kids were in school with her at The Albany Academies. Apparently she was normal then.

[mgardener]

38. Not

All of us are like that.

But she does appeal to the ignorant.

And she did nothing to help them

[NNadir]

50. Oh, I know that, just as it is the case that here in New Jersey, not all of us are liberals.

If one travels to the New Jersey shore, one can be in a seaside Oklahoma, a small number of very good people buried in a matrix of complete immoral morons.

As men, my sons are reluctant to vacation in Seaside Heights. It's hard to enjoy one's self with those obscene blue Tr**p flags flying in front of so many homes.

[angrychair]

16. And we are all the better for it

And Congress will be a better place without her. Plus that gives us a potential seat to pick up 😊

[RetiredParatrooper]

18. Is she threatening America...

...with a good time?

Everything Trump touches dies. Including, apparently, Stefanik's political career.

[IronLionZion]

20. His endorsement might work against GOP candidates in blue NY state

[Karma13612]

21. What a lovely Christmas gift for me!!

I’m a NY-21 Constituent and am SOOO FREAKIN’ HAPPY that we are rid of her!

Yay!!!!

[mgardener]

39. Me too!

Christmas has come early!

[Rhiannon12866]

22. Kudos for those of us in formerly Democratic NY District 21!!!!

And the last time she made a rare public appearance, up north in Plattsburgh, NY, she was boo'd off the stage!!! Looks like she took the hint!

[Cha]

25. lol.. I mentioned you up thread but not

by name...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3585187

Happy for you and Dems in District 21

"Booed off stage" in her District?

[Rhiannon12866]

31. And I replied to you, my friend! I'm hardly ashamed!

And I posted more than one thread a couple of weeks ago when she was boo'd off the stage in a rare public appearance up north!

[Cha]

34. Maybe there's a chance for a Dem in

District 21?!

Sorry what did you mean by you're "hardly ashamed"?

[Rhiannon12866]

36. LOL! I'm not ashamed to admit that this made my day, though I know that I'm not alone here in NY-21

We got redistricted in 2013 and inherited a moderate Democrat from up north. I voted for him twice before he decided to retire and I went to the local meetup where he introduced his chosen successor. I liked him a lot, made GOTV calls for him. Possibly because there was a strong Green Party candidate, but he lost, and we've been stuck with Stefanik ever since.

[Cha]

40. Thanks for the History...

Of course you're not "ashamed"... the opposite.

[Prairie Gates]

29. Trumpism has utterly failed the North Country

I hope the good people of NY21 come to their senses.

[Akakoji]

27. When Trump called her, he told her she already lost

The media, ever eager to create a horse race, released a recent poll that had Hochul at least at 50% compared to a wretched 35% for Stefanik. The RNC probably said shut this thing down now as well. If Trump really wanted her - or any woman in any role other than to support a man - he would have threatened Blakeman publicly. This is now the 10th time she's been thrown under the bus. She probably got the message. At one time she was fairly reasonable, but chose to sell her ethics and degrade and debase herself. She would not even have won her CD again. In any case, Blakeman is more out of central casting for them, and is well respected in GOP circles. Republicans in NY do not want someone that will pull people to the polls in droves. Trump probably didn't call Blakeman at all, actually. It's just bad form to kick someone to the curb, even if you despise them, so Trump probably allowed them to say he called him. In any case they could have spent a billion dollars to get Stefanik elected but it would not have succeeded.

[Prairie Gates]

43. "This is now the 10th time she's been thrown under the bus."

Perfectly put. It is indeed. Trump has abused her incessantly. If throwing in the towel is throwing it in Trump's face, then good.

[Glaisne]

32. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!

LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL!
Loser.

[Bev54]

44. Yay!!

[hay rick]

46. I remember her auditioning for the V.P. slot...

That didn't end well either.

[Picaro]

47. Everything Trump touches dies

Elise’s political career has expired due to the Trump curse.

[Historic NY]

49. The Democrat Blake Gendebien poised to run against her in 2026 now has a better chance

there may be a special election to fill the last yr of Stefanik's term.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2025/03/28/blake-gendabein-to-remain-in-ny-21-race-until-2026-election]

[Easterncedar]

51. Bad news for Hochul, though