Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, the state’s first woman governor, is running for a second term.

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik formally launched her campaign November 7, but dropped out just six weeks later. In a December 19 post on X, Stefanik said she was ending her campaign for governor and also that she would not seek reelection to Congress.  

Stefanik dropping out clears the field for Bruce Blakeman, a local elected official from Long Island, who jumped into the race in December. 

Hochul, formerly the lieutenant governor, ascended to the governor’s office in 2021 following former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation amid sexual misconduct allegations. She was elected 

to a full term in 2022 in a close race against Republican Lee Zeldin, who now heads the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, winning 53 percent of the vote.   

Since then, Hochul has had a high profile — including through her often-adversarial relationship with President Donald Trump. Hochul prevailed in a lawsuit over the Trump administration’s effort to block New York City’s congestion pricing plan but has expressed willingness to work with Trump in other areas. Hochul has also forged a relationship with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, rooted in their shared support for universal child care. Mamdani has endorsed Hochul’s reelection campaign. 

Hochul was facing a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who in June announced his plans to run against her in the Democratic primary. But Delgado suspended his campaign on February 10, saying in a statement: “After much consideration, I’ve concluded that there simply is no path forward.” Hochul has tapped Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of the New York City Council, as her running mate for her 2026 campaign. 

Stefanik, who represents an Upstate New York congressional district, was nominated as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, but the administration pulled her nomination due to concerns over Republicans’ narrow House majority. Stefanik’s launch video labeled Hochul as “the worst governor in America” and attacked Hochul over the high cost of living in New York. 

Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, is a supporter of Trump’s and held a rally for him in the 2024 presidential election. In office, he signed an executive order barring women’s sports teams that include transgender women from using county facilities and signed into law a ban on people wearing face masks to conceal their identity.  Trump had  declined to weigh in on the race between him and Stefanik.  “He’s great and she’s great,” he told reporters in December. “They’re both great people.”

In her statement, Stefanik said she wanted to avoid a competitive and expensive Republican primary as well as spend more time with her family. 

“And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom, she wrote. “I believe that being a parent is life’s greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, 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.” 

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, one of three Republicans representing a district won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, opted against a run for governor and is running for reelection to his Hudson Valley-area House seat.  

“This is the same Mike Lawler who caved to Trump the minute he asked to rip away New Yorkers’ health care,” Hochul wrote on social media in July. “Of course he doesn’t have the spine to face me.” 

In all, 36 governorships are up in 2026. Five Democratic-led states won by Trump in 2024 (Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) are holding elections for governor in 2026, while two Republican governors in states won by Harris (New Hampshire and Vermont) are up for reelection.