I'm disappointed.

Stefanik’s decision was widely unexpected and ends the elected career of a once-rising-star in the GOP.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/...tBO6X14glJFJSyTcc%3D

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Dec. 19 announced that she would end her campaign to become governor of New York in the 2026 general election, and that she would not seek reelection to the U.S. Congress in the same year, thereby retiring from elected politics.

Stefanik, who previously served as the chairwoman of the U.S. House of Representatives Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, was widely seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, particularly after her incisive questioning of three university presidents during a congressional hearing on Dec. 8, 2023, regarding anti-Semitism at colleges and universities amid the war between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas.

Two of those leaders, Harvard University President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill, later resigned from their offices.

Stefanik was later nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during his present term, but he later withdrew that nomination amid House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) pleas due to the GOP’s slim majority in the House.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

I just heard that from a good friend, former Tea Party Maui member. Indeed, not good for Republicans, not good for New York.
Maybe Lee Zeldin can run again. He is terrific.

I didn't think she had a chance, but that's still not good for many reasons. Wonder if there's health issues, or if some dirt's been uncovered?

All that goddamn posturing. And now *BOOM*. Gone. Just another everyday politician.

David Wilkow interviewed Bruce Blakeman, who is running for NYS governor, on his radio (Sirius XM) show earlier in the week, and Blakeman sounded solid and grounded in conservative principles, and the MAGA movement.

https://www.blakemanfornewyork.com/

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
I didn't think she had a chance, but that's still not good for many reasons. Wonder if there's health issues, or if some dirt's been uncovered?

In Washington, they all have dirt on each other.

Maybe she’s smart enough to say I’ve made my millions and I’m going to enjoy it with my family.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Maybe she’s smart enough to say I’ve made my millions and I’m going to enjoy it with my family.

How many millions does she have?

Something strikes me as very odd with this. I’ve run hot and cold with Elise and her offices. Sometimes they’ve been great and they truly impress me, other times I’ve wondered what planet they were on. At the end of the day I think she did a great job and her contributions were a significant net positive. I also know that she has been being groomed for politics from her adolescence and it just seems to go against everything I know about her to drop out of this race, and even more so to drop out of her congressional seat so quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. Ultimately I think horrible Hochul just got the best Christmas gift that anyone could hope for, a little less than a week early. Similarly NY State just got a big lump of coal in its stocking. And the NY State GOP establishment continues to circle the drain.

I am disappointed as well. Dont think there is some hidden scandal. She could have health issues but she is young. Maybe the poll numbers were concerning.

Crossing my fingers that perhaps President Trump has a role for her to serve in the Administration, and she just opened the door for it.

^^^ A good positive thought!

^^A blogger some time back (forgot exactly who and when) opined that she would definitely be an asset to the President. Time will tell if the opinion/hunch were right.

quote:

Originally posted by rat2306:
Crossing my fingers that perhaps President Trump has a role for her to serve in the Administration, and she just opened the door for it.

Nice idea but, she's was best remaining in Congress and being a stalwart GOP figure within the legislature, same goes for other notable Congressional members like Ted Cruz, Byron Donald, etc.
The reality is the GOP needs just as many leading figures within both Houses to get major bills passed and just as importantly to halt Dem attempts at pushing their radical agenda.

Maybe Fox offered her a show? Trump poached so many of their personalities, they decided to do the same.

She might be on The Five sitting where Judge Jeanine used to be, to smack Jessica Tarlov around.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
The reality is the GOP needs just as many leading figures within both Houses to get major bills passed and just as importantly to halt Dem attempts at pushing their radical agenda.

And, while far upstate NY (her district) is generally conservative, there is a real risk that that could flip and we lose another Republican vote.

quote:

Nice idea but, she's was best remaining in Congress and being a stalwart GOP figure within the legislature, same goes for other notable Congressional members like Ted Cruz, Byron Donald, etc.

Of course she was, but since she isn't, maybe the president can offer her a position to make the most of her talents. Gotta think positive.

After Trump Withholds Endorsement, Stefanik Suddenly Bails On NY Gov Bid And Congress Too

In a surprise move, Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has not only pulled the plug on her recently-launched gubernatorial campaign, but will also refrain from seeking reelection to the US House. The decisions cap a year in which the ardent backer of Donald Trump has been through a hot-and-cold relationship with the mercurial president that's seen him first cancel her nomination to serve as UN ambassador and then fail to endorse her in the governor's race.

Stefanik dropped the big news in a lengthy afternoon post on X. Key excerpts:

"While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress... While we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York...

While many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom. I believe that being a parent is life's greatest gift and greatest responsibility... I will feel profound regret if I don't further focus on my young son's safety, growth, and happiness -- particularly at his tender age."

The 41-year-old Stefanik was first elected to Congress in 2014, after her campaign as a moderate helped her flip her upstate New York seat back into the GOP column -- taking it from a Democrat who'd ruined a Republican winning streak in the district that spanned a century. As Trump's first term unfolded, Stefanik strayed from the moderation of her campaign and increasingly aligned herself with Trump, calling herself "ultra MAGA."
Though there's no indication of malice on Trump's part, Stefanik suffered a series of embarrassments and setbacks inflicted by the president (Hans Pennink/ AP via Politico)

Stefanik's national profile surged in December 2023 with her heated grilling of the presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT, who she accused of tolerating antisemitism on their campuses amid protests over Israel's devastation of Gaza following the Oct 7 Hamas invasion of Israel. Critics contended that Stefanik wielded a false definition of "antisemitism," equating common pro-Palestinian slogans -- such as "Palestine will be free from the river to the sea" -- with "calling for the genocide of Jews." Regardless, Stefanik's questioning of the university presidents was enormously impactful: Video of her histrionic performance went viral, and Penn president Liz Magill and Harvard president Claudine Gay both announced their resignations within weeks.

She was poised to rise to even greater visibility when Trump nominated her to serve as ambassador to the UN in his second term. Stefanik's Zionist credentials made her a perfect fit for that role, which, even more so in a Trump administration, disproportionately centers on advancing the Israeli agenda. However, in March, Trump yanked her nomination over concerns that pulling her from Congress would endanger the GOP's thin House majority. Compounding the gut-punch, by that time, Stefanik had already resigned as chair of the House GOP caucus -- the fourth-ranked Republican slot in the House.

https://www.zerohedge.com/poli...bid-and-congress-too

Sometimes living in chaos just makes staying in the muck too much to put up with. Wish she'd stayed but wish her well as she moves on in to a new phase of life.

quote:

While many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom. I believe that being a parent is life's greatest gift and greatest responsibility... I will feel profound regret if I don't further focus on my young son's safety, growth, and happiness -- particularly at his tender age."

In my circles (BTW, none of them are politicians), it's common for one parent to pull back from career and extra-curriculars (church committees, rotary, etc) to actually have time to be a parent. Her kid is 4 and if that's what she's actually doing then kudos to her. Way too many people outsource raising their kids.