Elise Štefánik, the youngest woman to be elected to the US Congress in history, now plans to drop out of the race for governor of New York and will also not seek re-election to Congress.
On Friday, December 19 (local time), Štefánik made the announcement on social media, where she said: “Although I am spending precious time with my family this Christmas, I have decided to suspend my campaign for governor and will not seek re-election to Congress,” adding: “I did not come to this decision lightly for the sake of our family.”
Štefánik was widely seen as the front-runner to replace current NY Governor Kathy Hochul. But her bid became a challenge when Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman entered the race.
President Donald Trump also acknowledged her decision and wished her well, saying in a post on Truth Social, “Elise Štefánik, a fantastic person and congresswoman from New York State, has just announced that she will not run for governor. Elise is a huge talent no matter what she does. She will be a BIG success and I’m with her all the way!”
Ed Cox, the Republican chairman of New York, said in a statement that Štefánik will remain the leader of the Republican Party and that the organization respects her decision.
“Bruce Blakeman has my support and I urge our State Committee and party leaders to join me. Bruce is a fighter who has proven that he knows how to win in difficult political terrain. As county executive, he has cut taxes, fought radical left-wing social policies and made Nassau County the safest county in America,” he said in a statement, adding, “By working with Bruce Hocratanschul as the end of the crisis, he will defeat Demokratanschul as the crisis candidate and defeat our candidate put an end to emigration at the head of the state of New York.”
This is a developing story. Check back later for more updates.
