September 4, 2025
By Joe Portes
On Wednesday, Sept. 3 Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R, NY-21), chair of the House Republican Leadership, announced that she will be spending $500,000 to support local Republicans and committees in an attempt to ensure victories for her party across the state this November.
A press release from Stefanik’s office stated, “From town boards to county legislatures to key city governments to Congress, Republican momentum is surging, reshaping the political map from the ground up.” At only 41 years old, Stefanik is the most senior elected Republican in New York, currently serving her sixth term representing this district. She has now taken on a new role: face of the GOP get-out-the-vote movement.
‘Save New York’
“Republicans are on offense again,” according to the Stefanik statement. This past June she launched the “Save New York” political action committee (PAC), which intends to replace Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2026. While she hasn’t officially announced running yet, Stefanik is expected to run against Hochul.
In the June 4 statement that originally announced the formation of “Save New York,” Stefanik wrote, “Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America and she is leading a failed Democrat Party. After years of failed single party Democrat rule in New York, it has never been more clear that we need strong, commonsense Republican leadership in New York.”
Borrowing a tactic from President Donald Trump, Stefanik has taken to using short, snappy phrases and nicknames — such as repeatedly calling for “strong, commonsense Republican leadership” and referring to Hochul as the “worst governor in America.”
Stefanik and Trump
Stefanik was lined up to be UN Ambassador, before her cabinet hopes were thwarted by Trump withdrawing his nomination back in March.
“I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day.”
Stefanik had also forfeited her position as the House Republican Conference chairperson, the third most senior member, in preparation for her ambassador role. She even went on a “farewell tour” across the North Country that’s supported her for over a decade. Calling her one of his biggest allies, the president wanted Stefanik to rejoin Congress and help protect Republicans’ narrow 218-213 majority in the House, which is what brings us to September and Stefanik’s $500,000 donation and statewide get-out-the-vote push.
“I want to thank the tens of thousands of supporters across New York and America for helping support and fund our historic effort through ‘Save New York’ to fund local Republican candidates and committees in all 62 counties,” Stefanik wrote in yesterday’s press release. “With New York City on the brink of a possible communist takeover and the worst governor in America, Kathy Hochul, continuing to double down on her dangerous bail reform, sanctuary state policies, and sky-high taxes, New York Republicans are working to win to save our state.”
Future ambitions
The ‘Save New York’ PAC is targeting Republican voters who turned out in the 2024 presidential election but did not vote for mayor, according to the Stefanik’s office. Stefanik is also sending “personalized notes” in the form of text messages to encourage GOP members across the state to vote. All of this is part of a broader effort to help local-level Republicans win their municipal elections come November.
Though it’s not quite a small, “local-level” election, Stefanik even has plans to campaign for Republicans in New York City, especially mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa, in the coming weeks. Sliwa is currently polling in third behind Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani — who Stefanik is referring to when warning of a “possible communist takeover” — and Andrew Cuomo (running as an Independent), who is himself 19 points behind first, according to an Aug. 7 Sienna College poll.
“The New York GOP is incredibly grateful for Elise Stefanik’s leadership and support for local races, not just this year, but in years past as well,” said NYGOP Chairman Ed Cox.
Not everyone agrees with Cox, however. Opponents on the other side of the aisle, even some party critics of Stefanik, have argued that she’s tied her fate too closely to Trump.
“Elise Stefanik is so busy shilling for Donald Trump, selling out New Yorkers, and getting booed by her own constituents that even the New York GOP is begging her to stay out of their local elections,” said state Democratic spokesperson Addison Dick. “No wonder she’s too scared to face the New Yorkers she’s supposed to represent.”
Dick is referencing the Clinton County GOP who earlier this month accused Stefanik of “bullying in [the] Assembly nomination process.” Additionally, as many of us know in Glens Falls, where her office was formerly located, Stefanik has not hosted an in-person town hall in six years. Back in October of 2019, she regularly held “Coffee with your Congresswoman” events, meeting with constituents out in the public. Now, area political groups have been organizing their own town hall events, which she doesn’t show up to despite the invite.
According to a a Siena College poll taken in June, Hochul held a 23-point advantage over Stefanik in a hypothetical gubernatorial race, but that recently narrowed to a 14-point gap in August.
While we may not officially know if she’s going to oppose Hochul, who will also face Democratic challenger Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado in next year’s primaries, we do know Stefanik has plans to “fire” the governor and “Save New York” in 2026 — however that might be.
Read the story in the Post-Star HERE.
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