Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik announced she is running for governor of New York early Friday morning, after months of hinting that she might challenge Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the 2026 election.

The race for governor of New York is now officially underway with the front-runners of the two major parties.

Hochul responded to Stefanik's announcement, calling the representative Donald Trump's "number one cheerleader in Congress and his right-hand woman in his war on New York."