ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Rep. Elise Stefanik announced Friday that she is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek re-election to Congress, dropping out of the race in a surprising statement and saying staying in what is expected to be a brutal Republican primary is “not a good use of our time.”
Stefanik, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump, posted on X that she was confident in her chances of defeating Bruce Blackman, a Republican county official in suburban New York, in the primary. But she said she wanted to spend more time with her young son and family.
“I have thought deeply about this and know that, as a mother, I would feel deep regret if I did not further focus on my youngest son’s safety, growth and well-being – especially during his early years,” she said.
Stefanik has been a strong critic of current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is also seeking re-election but faces a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.
The news marks an abrupt end to Stefanik’s once-promising career, at least for now. In 2014, at the age of 30, she won her first election, representing a new generation of Republicans in Washington, becoming the youngest female member of Congress ever. She was eventually promoted to House Republican leader when she served as House Republican Conference chair in 2021.
When Stefanik came to Washington, she was initially viewed as a moderate, but as Trump began to dominate the party, she became more conservative. She once refused to name Trump but became one of his top defenders during his first impeachment inquiry. Even after the violent mob stormed the Capitol on January 6, she continued to vote against certifying the 2020 election results.
Stefanik is expected to face a tight race in the Republican primary against Blackman, who also considers himself a Trump ally. The president has so far seemed keen to avoid taking sides in the race, recently telling reporters: “He’s great, she’s great. They’re both great people.”
Stefanik’s decision came after a clash with Speaker Mike Johnson, whom she accused of lying before giving a series of interviews to media outlets that criticized him. In a Wall Street Journal article, she called Johnson a “political newbie” and said he would not be re-elected speaker if a vote were held today.
The tumultuous events of early December seemed to calm down when Johnson said he and Stefanik had a “great conversation.”
“I called her, I said, ‘Why didn’t you come to me, you know?'” Johnson said. “So we had some heated exchanges about that.”
Still, Stefanik, the chairwoman of House Republican leadership, didn’t fully walk back her criticism. In a Dec. 2 social media post still circulating online, Stefanik accused Johnson of lying about not knowing about it after a provision she supported was removed from the defense authorization bill, calling it “more lies from the speaker.”
State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox said the party respected Stefanik’s decision and thanked her for her efforts.
“Bruce Blackman has my support, and I urge our state committee and party leaders to join me,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in a difficult political environment.”
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Associated Press writers Steven Sloan and Joey Cappelletti contributed in Washington.
