Rep. Elise Stefanik invited President Trump to Fort Drum in 2018. File photo: courtesy of Watertown Daily Times
Dec 22, 2025 —
Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik sent a seismic shockwave through North Country and New York State politics last Friday afternoon when she announced she was dropping her bid for governor and would not run for Congress either. In a statement, she said she wanted to spend more time with her four year-old son. “I believe that being a parent is life’s greatest gift and greatest responsibility,” she wrote, adding “my most important title is Mom.”
But Stefanik also said the prospect of a GOP primary in next year’s governor’s race also played a significant factor.
NCPR News Director David Sommerstein joined Monica Sandreczki Monday on Northern Light to discuss Stefanik’s decision and what it means for North Country politics.
MONICA SANDRECZKI: Congresswoman Stefanik was running an aggressive campaign for governor. She was attacking Governor Hochul multiple times a day, filling our inboxes with press releases. What happened?
DAVID SOMMERSTEIN: Her decision was a real shocker. Unfortunately, we can’t ask Stefanik herself what happened – she’s refused to talk with NCPR for years. But there’s been a ton of national reporting on this over the weekend, and we’ve learned some things, both personal and political, about Stefanik.
For example, we learned something new from New York magazine. Stefanik talked about her decision and said she almost didn’t run for Congress last year because she wanted to spend more time with her four-year-old son. So, it appears political life was weighing on her.
But she also told the magazine “my gut tells me this is not the right political time”, referring to what would have been a bruising primary battle against Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman.
And here I think is a huge point. It must have been a crushing blow that President Donald Trump, who she has been so loyal to, declined to endorse her for governor. He was asked about the race between her and Blakeman at an Oval Office ceremony just last week honoring the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team. Stefanik was standing right next to Trump when he said, “she’s got a little bit of competition with a very good Republican, but she’s a great Republican, so we’ll see what happens.”
The New York Times called that moment “a punch to the gut.” Fox News and the Wall Street Journal referred to it as a turning point.
Over the weekend, less than a day after Stefanik announced her withdrawl from the race, President Trump announced his endorsement of Blakeman.
SANDRECZKI: Let’s go back to the Trump loyalty part. Stefanik famously calls herself “Ultra-MAGA”. But she wasn’t always that way. Remind us of how she entered the North Country Political scene.
SOMMERSTEIN: I met her on the streets of Watertown during her first campaign in early 2014. It was just her and a young aide going door-to-door. She was a moderate then. When Trump first ran for president the following year, she wouldn’t even say his name, calling him just “the Republican nominee” and attacking him for his alleged assaults against women.
But then everything changed around 2018 and 2019. She became one of Trump’s fiercest defenders during his first impeachment. She repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. She voting against certifying the results in the House. She defended the January 6th attackers who ravaged the Capitol. She spread a debunked conspiracy theory called The Great Replacement that Jews and immigrants are taking over the country. Her language even changed, using over-the-top, bombastic, name-calling attacks in her press releases and social media, just like Trump. In short, she transformed into a far-right conservative, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters.
SANDRECZKI: And it seemed like that political move was going to pay off. She rose to a leadership position in the House. And then Trump nominated her to become the US Ambassador to the United Nations.
SOMMERSTEIN: This is where things started to change. Stefanik had already done a farewell tour to the North Country when Trump suddenly pulled that nomination. He didn’t want to lose Stefanik’s vote in the GOP’s slim House majority.
That’s when she pivoted to running for Governor. And in the end, her loyalty to Trump wasn’t enough to get his endorsement and avoid a Republican primary against Blakeman. Meanwhile, a recent Siena poll found she was down by 19 points to Governor Hochul. And so, she called it quits.
SANDRECZKI: So this really is giant news in North Country politics. What have her allies and supporters said here?
SOMMERSTEIN: They’ve been praising her for her leadership and service, saying she made the right decision for her. For example, Assembly Robert Smullen, who represents the central Adirondacks and is running for her seat in Congress, praised Stefanik as a “strong conservative leader and a tireless advocate.” He said he respected her decision to put family first.
I think it’s important to remember that this leaves a huge political vacuum in the North Country conservative world. Stefanik was very popular across this region. She won all her races by double-digit margins. We’ve reported she was known for good constituent services. At a very young age, she had become the leader of the GOP, in the North Country and statewide.
She said Friday that she’s serving out her term. So Stefanik still has a lot to say here. She has a campaign war chest of millions of dollars. House Speaker Mike Johnson needs her vote. She’ll be powerful – and unpredictable – through 2026.
SANDRECZKI: Meanwhile, since she was running for Governor, the race is already on for the 21st district seat she represents. What’s going on there?
SOMMERSTEIN: It’s very early. So far, both parties will likely have primaries. On the Republican side, Smullen and Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino are running. For Democrats, it’s St. Lawrence County dairy farmer Blake Gendebien, South Glens Falls native Dylan Hewitt, and Stuart Amoriell, owner of the Pickled Pig in Lake Placid. So that will also sort itself out in 2026. We’ll be reporting on it. It’ll be very interesting to see who Stefanik endorses.
