Rep. Elise Stefanik Friday launched her Republican campaign to unseat Gov. Hochul in 2026, taking aim at her opponent as a puppet of Zohran Mamdani and “the worst governor in America.”

The upstate congresswoman announced her long-anticipated run against Hochul with a video that accused the incumbent Democrat of making the Empire State unaffordable for working people.

“I am running for governor to bring a new generation of leadership to Albany to make New York affordable and safe for families all across our great state,” Stefanik said in a statement.

Stefanik, who represents a deep-red congressional district in the far upstate North Country, accused Hochul of taking cues from Mamdani, the New York City mayor-elect who Republicans hope to make a bogeyman for voters outside the five boroug

See Full Page