In recent months, the New York State Capitol has been a stage for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sell an agenda she believes will win her re-election next year.
It has also been a key backdrop in the drama surrounding who will challenge her.
The latest to do so was Representative Elise Stefanik, a powerful Trump loyalist who, during a rare appearance in Albany on Monday, sounded less interested in doing the president’s bidding and more intent on carving her own political path.
She blasted Ms. Hochul as the “worst governor in America” whose “pro-criminal agenda” made New Yorkers less safe by “putting violent criminals and illegals first and law abiding New Yorkers last.”
Ms. Stefanik, a six-term congresswoman, castigated the legislative actions of New York Democrats as “anti-worker, anti-family, anti-farm, anti-small business, anti-manufacturing and anti-law enforcement.”
The remarks appeared to preview Ms. Stefanik’s campaign themes if she runs. But they also misrepresented Ms. Hochul’s views in claiming that Democrats had rejected common-sense reforms to the bail laws and refused to lower taxes. Ms. Hochul has repeatedly strengthened the state’s bail laws, expending considerable political capital to do so. And while this year’s state budget increased taxes on businesses with payrolls of $10 million or more a year to fund public transit infrastructure, it cut taxes for smaller businesses and households making less than $323,000. The budget also drastically expanded the state’s child tax credit.
Ms. Stefanik, who represents a district that stretches from just north of Albany to the Canadian border, has long been a rising star in the Republican Party.
Elected at just 30 years old as a moderate, she transformed herself after President Trump won in 2016 and has served as one of MAGA’s most ardent defenders.
After Mr. Trump’s victory last year, he nominated Ms. Stefanik to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, prompting her to relinquish leadership roles in the House. But her nomination was pulled by Mr. Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson after it became apparent that her departure might jeopardize the Republicans’ hold on the House.
Soon after, Ms. Stefanik appeared to turn her attention to her home state and its governor. She has not publicly declared her intention to run, but has said she is “honored” to be considered for the role and will make a decision in the coming months.
She is not alone in that regard. In February, Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican who previously served in the State Assembly, wandered the building maligning Ms. Hochul, while musing about challenging her. Another potential challenger, the Nassau County executive, Bruce Blakeman, appeared with Republican state lawmakers in Albany last week to support bills that prevent transgender youth from playing girls’ sports.
And on the Democratic side, Ms. Hochul’s lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, just announced he would run against her.
Ms. Hochul took office in 2021 and won re-election the following year in a contest that was far closer than many expected. As governor she has largely stuck with popular, middle-of-the road policies, like cutting taxes and banning cellphones in schools.
“Governor Hochul’s budget puts money back in their pockets, cuts taxes for the middle class and makes our streets and subways safer,” said Addison Dick, a spokesman for the New York State Democratic Party.
Even so, her weak poll numbers and a slowly deteriorating working relationship proved tempting for critics from both parties.
A recent polling examination by Deep Root Analytics, a Republican firm that has previously worked with Mr. Lawler, found that he “is better positioned to compete in a statewide gubernatorial general election than any other Republican.”
Ms. Stefanik, on the other hand, has far better name recognition and boasts of having the “strongest relationship with President Trump in the delegation.” She recently created a political action committee that she said would support local candidates in New York.
Her visit to Albany seemed noteworthy, if only for its rarity. The last time she set foot on the Capitol grounds was in 2022, when she rallied to denounce the loss of chocolate milk in public school lunches.
On Monday, she previewed a future Stefanik administration that had striking parallels to the current Trump administration. She promised to issue executive orders “on Day 1” to address immigration and a DOGE-style review of state spending.
Democrats in New York have reminded residents that House Republicans from New York like Mr. Lawler and Ms. Stefanik support the bill to deliver President Trump’s domestic agenda, which would probably mean that over a million New Yorkers would lose their medical coverage.
On Monday, Ms. Stefanik defended the House bill, which would result in a $13.5 billion cut to New York’s Medicaid funds.
“We are not taking away Medicaid benefits,” Ms. Stefanik asserted, saying that the changes were intended to “improve them for New Yorkers who qualify.”
Nicholas Fandos contributed reporting.
Benjamin Oreskes is a reporter covering New York State politics and government for The Times.
Grace Ashford covers New York government and politics for The Times.
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