April 8th, 2021 by Brooke Singman
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Elise Stefanik is receiving “encouragement” from supporters across the state as she considers whether to mount a gubernatorial bid in New York in 2022, with advisers saying she is “not ruling anything out,” Fox News has learned.
Stefanik, whose congressional district represents Watertown, Plattsburgh and Glenn Falls, is getting support “from all corners of the state” according to her senior adviser Alex DeGrasse. The strong response comes added DeGrasse because Stefanik “would immediately be the strongest Republican candidate in both a primary and general gubernatorial election.”
The four-term congresswoman “continues to set records as the most prolific New York Republican fundraiser ever in state history consistently earning the strongest performance at the ballot box cycle after cycle on Election Day,” DeGrasse added, “She appreciates the widespread encouragement and is not ruling anything out – nor will she make her decision based on others’ timetables.”
The comments come after Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., formally announced he will run for governor in 2022 against Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
DeGrasse said that Stefanik “believes it is a testament to the strength of the Republican Party in New York that there are many other high quality candidates running or considering running.”
Zeldin is the first major Republican to launch a challenge against New York’s embattled three-term Democratic governor, who faces allegations of sexual harassment from 10 female accusers. The charges have triggered an independent investigation by the state attorney general and an impeachment investigation in the State Assembly. Cuomo is also facing a federal probe into the state’s handling of COVID deaths at nursing homes amid thecoronavirus pandemic.
Zeldin, a staunch ally of former President Trump and a four-term lawmaker who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District in the eastern half of Long Island, made his announcement in a live interview on “Fox and Friends.”
“I’m running for governor of New York in 2022,” Zeldin said on “Fox & Friends.” “We are going to win this race.”
He added: “I’m all in, we are all in.”
Fox News reported earlier this week that Trump allies were quietly rallying their support behind Zeldin, urging him to mount a gubernatorial bid.
Zeldin met with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month.
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