FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Watch Chairwoman Stefanik’s remarks here.
View highlights from Chairwoman Stefanik’s interview:
On Kathy Hochul and Commie Mamdani’s Far Left Policies:
First of all, New Yorkers are smart. They know that these policies are detrimental and only make New York more dangerous. And let’s be honest, this is not just tweets. Zohran Mamdani is a seated elected official. Not only did he run for the New York State Assembly, but he has served and voted in the New York State Assembly to defund the police at every opportunity. An elected official who has voted over and over and over again for the past number of years to defund the police… We need a strong mayor who supports the police to bring safety and security to communities all across this great city. On top of this, he [Mamdani] has embraced full blown communism with increasing taxes and government run grocery stores. He is a true Commie Mamdani. I was the first person to coin that term, and boy, does it stick, because it’s true.
On Mamdani Backtracking on Previous Far Left Statements:
He can’t just say, ‘these are tweets.’ These are so much more than tweets. The tweets are bad enough. It’s the votes and the positions he’s taken as assemblyman, and it is the platform, which he has run on in the mayoral primary. He ran on defunding the police. This was a policy he embraced. Now he wants to run away from this. New Yorkers are smart. They see through this, and you’re even seeing this is not just Republicans, not just independents, but common sense Democrat voters as well. They do not want a mayor who is defunding the police, and you know who has been silent and refused to condemn Zohran Mamdani, Kathy Hochul, the worst governor in America, the weakest governor in America. She was asked yesterday on national TV. What was her response to me calling out Mamdani’s tweets? She said, ‘Oh, they were just tweets.’ And tried to brush them aside. The correct response for the governor of New York would be, ‘We strongly support the NYPD. We strongly support these brave men and women who put their lives on the line every single day that have led to these horrific tragedies.’ Instead, what does she say? She brushes it under the rug. She owns Commie Mamdani and his pro-defund the police platform.
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They are bending the knee because they are so desperately afraid of the Far Left radical part that has become mainstream in the Democrat party. This is why Republicans are increasingly winning voters in New York State. If you look at the 2024 presidential election, no state moved more to the Republican direction than New York, and that’s because they are set up with single-party, failed Democrat rule.
On Supporting Police/NYC Shooting:
We should expand that special unit, which is incredibly important, particularly in a city like New York, where you have so many threats, whether they’re counter terrorism threats. In general, it’s the financial capital of the world. We need to be expanding that, and we need a mayor to do so. And we need a governor who’s going to expand that special unit as well.
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We should be increasing the budget for our police. We should be increasing our recruitment efforts. And if you look at the number of retirements, it’s because there has been a significant response to horrible defund the police, to failed bail reform, to putting criminals first, law enforcement, and law abiding New Yorkers last, which has occurred not only in New York City but in New York State. This has become a state under Democrat leadership. They own everything. They control the State Senate, the State Assembly, the governor’s mansion, and the mayorship in New York, and what have they done at every opportunity? They’ve turned their backs on our hard working members of law enforcement. They’ve turned their backs on law abiding New Yorkers, and instead, have prioritized criminals and illegals. That’s why you’re seeing a historic number of retirements.
On Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats’ Complicity:
You have Kathy Hochul, who is the leader of the New York Democrat party. You have Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democrat party in the Senate from New York, eligible to vote in the New York mayoral race. He hasn’t said who he voted for in that primary. And you have Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the New York Democrat Party in the House, in the minority. He also hasn’t said who we voted for in that mayoral primary. And reporters, where they chase Republicans down and ask who I voted for in primaries, they haven’t asked that question of Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, who need to answer who they voted for in the Democrat primary for mayor? I want to know was it Mamdani or who was it? If it wasn’t if it was not for him, then what is their position? They have refused to condemn him. They own his positions.
On Protecting the Second Amendment:
I stand strongly for the Constitution, and as you pointed out, New York has some of the most stringent anti-gun laws in the country. This is about criminals. It is being tough on criminals, and that’s what we need to focus on. And we need to make sure that we have policies that promote safety and security. That means increasing the budget for our law enforcement officers. That means making sure that we have the resources we need for these special units, in particular to bring safety and security to our community.
On Potential Run for Governor:
I’m focused on this year’s local election, because this is such a historic local election. We are supporting strong, pro-growth Republican candidates all across our state, and I’m going to pay very close attention. … I strongly endorsed Curtis Sliwa, particularly in this multicandidate race. He has an opportunity, a once-in-a-generation opportunity, to win, so I’m proud to support him. But there are local races. We have an important county executive race in Nassau County on Long Island. We have races all across our state. That’s what we’re focused on, and that will lay the groundwork to save our state once and for all, because I’ll tell you, Kathy Hochul, she truly is the worst governor in America. I dubbed her that, and it is true, and it has resonated. She is plummeting in the polls. She is losing support. Her own lieutenant governor, whom she handpicked, is primary in her. So even within her own party, she is losing support, let alone with independents who have long ago left her behind. Republicans certainly and will turn out, energized to support a strong Republican candidate.
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