WASHINGTON — Rep. Elise Stefanik, who once assisted with former Sen. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012, will run for New York governor in 2026, she announced on Friday.

Stefanik launched her bid in a 2½-minute video posted to X, making official what many speculated to be the case as the Republican congresswoman has laid the groundwork for months to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul next November. Stefanik has had a meteoric rise within her party over the last decade, positioning herself as one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent allies.

“The Empire State has fallen,” the voiceover in Stefanik’s first campaign ad says. “But from the ashes of Kathy Hochul’s failed policies, New York will rise like we always do. The spirit of the Empire State cannot be broken. All we need is a co

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