NEW YORK (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik is running for governor of New York, her campaign announced Friday.

In a video shared on social media, Stefanik called Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul “the worst governor in America” and called New York “the most unaffordable state in the nation.”

Stefanik, who represents a solid red congressional district in upstate New York, has for months teased a run for governor, leveling heavy criticism at Hochul and more recently toward Zohran Mamdani , the mayor-elect of New York City.

Last year, President Donald Trump picked Stefanik, a staunch ally, to be the administration’s ambassador to the United Nations, but months later rescinded the nomination over concerns about Republicans’ tight margins in the House.

Though any Republican faces

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