Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), former Chair of the House Republican Conference, officially launched her campaign for governor of New York Friday, framing the race as a fight to rescue the state from what she calls economic collapse and public safety failures under Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul’s leadership.

In a campaign video shared to social media Friday morning, Stefanik portrayed New York as a state in decline, citing high taxes, soaring utility and grocery costs, and a surge in crime as central issues that demand immediate and transformative leadership. The video opens with a stark warning: “The Empire State has fallen,” as the narrator references an “affordability crisis” and a fleeing tax base.

Stefanik’s announcement emphasized a bipartisan appeal, asserting that her campaign would unite Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to reverse course in the state. “I am running for Governor to make New York affordable and safe FOR ALL,” Stefanik wrote on X. “It’s time to: FIRE HOCHUL. SAVE NEW YORK.”

The campaign message further criticizes Hochul’s alignment with progressive forces in the state, highlighting her endorsement of New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist whose policies on policing, immigration, and taxation have drawn national condemnation. Stefanik’s campaign ad characterizes Mamdani as a “defund the police tax hiking anti semitic communist,” and accuses Hochul of “bending the knee” to far-left influences.

Underscoring early momentum, Stefanik reported Friday morning: “In just a matter of hours, we have:

Raised over $1 MILLION for our campaign and the @NewYorkGOP

Over 1 MILLION views on the launch ad across socials.”

The campaign launch follows months of speculation and polling that indicated Stefanik was gaining traction across the state. In late October, a Manhattan Institute poll showed her leading Hochul 43 to 42 percent among registered voters statewide—a statistical tie that broke in Stefanik’s favor. The same survey found she held a six-point lead over Hochul’s lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado.

The campaign video outlines challenges facing New York related to crime and immigration, referencing “foreign gang members terrorizing innocent New Yorkers” and attributing the issue to “sanctuary state policies.” Stefanik states, “We are the most unaffordable state in the nation because of single party, Democrat rule led by Kathy Hochul.”

Promising to reverse those trends, Stefanik’s narrator touts her legislative record, including authoring “the largest middle class tax cut in New York’s history,” supporting law enforcement, championing small businesses, and pledging to “reduce your energy, utility, and grocery bills.”

Thus far, Stefanik has secured support and endorsements from:

Elise Stefanik has emerged as a national figure, especially following her high-profile confrontations with university presidents over antisemitism on campus. Her forthcoming book, Poisoned Ivies, will detail what she describes as “the academic and moral rot” in higher education, continuing her broader push against progressive institutions.