Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is exploring a bid for governor of New York, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
One of the sources said that Stefanik is seriously considering a run after receiving encouragement from Republicans in New York, members of the Trump world and GOP donors.
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is up for reelection in 2026.
The potential move comes after President Donald Trump withdrew Stefanik's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and asked her to stay in Congress instead, where she has been given a new leadership arrangement.
Stefanik has $10 million cash on hand across her various political entities and has outrun Trump in her upstate New York district.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is also considering a gubernatorial bid.
In a statement, New York State Democratic Party spokesperson Addison Dick called Stefanik a member of a "pathetic crew of Trump minions."
"New York Republicans can't field a serious candidate from their pathetic crew of Trump minions. New Yorkers want nothing to do with the clown show of Trump loyalists who are only focused on enabling Trump's agenda that is raising costs, gutting health care, and attacking New Yorkers' freedoms," Dick said.
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Stefanik's nomination to be the next ambassador to the U.N. was abruptly withdrawn last month after Trump expressed concerns about the slim GOP majority in the House and Republicans' ability to win a special election to fill an impending vacancy in her district.
The move came after Stefanik, who became the youngest woman ever elected to the House in 2014, conducted a weeks-long "farewell tour" as she prepared to leave Congress.
Stefanik was also given assurances that she would rejoin the House GOP leadership team and the Intelligence Committee, posts she gave up after he nomination. But the efforts to bring Stefanik back into the fold in recent weeks have caused tension between Stefanik, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other House Republicans.
While New York hasn't been represented by a Republican governor in almost 20 years, since former Gov. George Pataki left office in 2007, Stefanik could pose a formidable challenge to Hochul if she makes it through a GOP primary.
In 2022, Hochul beat Republican gubernatorial nominee and former Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six percentage points, about half of former Vice President Kamala Harris' almost 13 percentage point margin of victory over Trump there in 2024.
And Hochul faces potential challenges within her own party.
Her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election to his post alongside Hochul, fueling rumors that he'll challenge her in a Democratic primary in 2026.
