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New Yorkers are seemingly fed up with the status quo, seeking a change in the state’s governorship in 2026.
According to a new poll by co/efficient, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is nearly running even with New York’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, a deeply unpopular incumbent.
Hochul led Stefanik by only one point in the deeply blue state, with 43 percent to 42 percent of the vote, while the remaining 15 percent were undecided.
Stefanik further led the crowd of hypothetical Republican primary candidates, receiving support from 56 percent of GOP voters. Placing second, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., received nine percent, while Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman garnered eight percent.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s support in the state fared 14 points higher than Hochul’s. Forty-four percent of New Yorkers approved of the president, while just 30 percent favored Hochul.
Stefanik, the previous chair of the House Republican Conference, has served in Congress representing upstate New York since 2015.
She was previously tapped by President Trump as Ambassador to the United Nations. He later rescinded her nomination to protect Republicans’ narrow majority in the U.S. House, worried her absence would help the Democrats flip her seat.
“Elise will stay in Congress, rejoin the House Leadership Team, and continue to fight for our amazing American People,” President Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social when announcing the withdrawal. “Speaker Johnson is thrilled! I look forward to the day when Elise is able to join my Administration in the future. She is absolutely FANTASTIC.”
No Republican has won New York’s governorship since 2002, so a flip in the Empire State would be undoubtedly historic. Hochul’s unpopularity, combined with the state’s past two closer election cycles, could make this a reality.
In 2022, Hochul carried New York by roughly six points against then-Rep. Lee Zeldin,R-N.Y, resulting in a nearly 10-point swing towards Republicans.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Kamala Harris won New York by less than 13 points in 2024, despite Joe Biden winning the state by roughly 23 points just four years earlier.
According to the New York Post, no Republican has announced that they are running for governor yet in 2026.