Back in May, it was reported that if Rep. Elise Stefanik jumped into a hypothetical race for governor of New York, she would be in a ‘dead heat’ with incumbent NY Governor Kathy Hochul.
Well, now it’s almost official. Stefanik is reportedly planning to enter the race.
The Hill reports:
Stefanik set to run for NY governorRep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is preparing to officially launch her campaign for New York governor, according to two sources familiar with her thinking.“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” said one of the sources, adding that Stefanik will announce “at the time and place” of her choosing.Speculation has been swirling for months over whether Stefanik, a close ally of President Trump, would seek the top executive office in the Empire State.Polling shows her leading a hypothetical Republican primary. A poll conducted by GrayHouse found that Stefanik has a commanding lead over fellow Rep. Mike Lawler (D-N.Y.), who is considering a run, 44 percent to 7 percent among GOP primary voters. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman secured 5 percent support. The margin of error is 5 percentage points.Last month, President Trump endorsed Lawler and Blakeman for reelection in their respective posts, raising speculation that he was seeking to clear the field for Stefanik.
Stefanik definitely has a shot in this contest. She has statewide and national name recognition due to her strong performance in the higher education hearings in Congress last year. Also, New Yorkers might finally be ready for a change. Remember that Republican Lee Zeldin lost by a very small margin in his recent run for governor.
Plenty of people on the right are already rooting for her.
The last Republican to serve as governor of New York was George Pataki, who left office in 2006. Look at what nearly twenty years of Democrat rule has done to the Empire State.
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