Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik has formally launched her expected campaign for New York governor with a video slamming Gov. Kathy Hochul and a show of party support to box out a potential GOP rival.

Stefanik, an 11-year House member from Saratoga County and staunch ally of President Donald Trump, had been hinting at a 2026 run for governor since Trump's nomination of her to be United Nations ambassador unraveled in April . She has been battering the Democratic incumbent in interviews and on social media for months in preparation for a challenge.

Her launch video, posted on Friday, Nov. 7, opens with a depiction of New York as a crime-ridden, over-taxed state, repeating Stefanik's frequent taunt that Hochul is the "worst governor in America" as frenetic music plays. Then it turns sunny

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