Major Republican rumored for gubernatorial run, hits back against Dem: ‘Worst governor in America’
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a key Trump ally who is rumored to be planning a gubernatorial run in 2026, hit back hard against New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, calling her the “worst governor in America” after the Democrat dinged her over Medicaid cuts.
In a Friday post on social media, Hochul accused Stefanik of voting “to put five hospitals in her district on the chopping block, endangering her own constituents’ lives, health, and jobs—all to serve Donald Trump.”
“I won’t stand for it. I’m fighting like hell to save New Yorkers’ health care,” said Hochul.
In response, Stefanik posted on X, “Hi @KathyHochul! Welcome to the fight.”
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“You didn’t get exposed enough during our last round when you testified and were totally exposed for your dangerous and failed sanctuary state policies ?? Let’s do Medicaid now,” she wrote.
Stefanik slammed Hochul for giving Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants, “putting New Yorkers most vulnerable LAST.”
“NY’s Medicaid program is rampant with tens of billions of waste, fraud, and abuse under Kathy’s watch,” she wrote. “Kathy Hochul, the Worst Governor in America oversees the worst run Medicaid program in the country harming NYers. Medicaid is an incredibly important program that I have worked to strengthen for New Yorkers.”
The New York congresswoman then added, “Oh and Kathy, your numbers in rural NY are plummeting” and “I have been nationally recognized as the TOP advocate to deliver results for rural hospitals due to my work for hospitals in my district.”
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Migrants line up in front of the East Village re-intake, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City, United States on Dec. 4, 2023. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In another post, Stefanik said, “Oh Kathy. I’m glad I set your schedule these days – from setting your Tweet schedule by forcing you to tweet on the Communist Mayor who just won in your Democrat Party in NYC. To you now scrambling to go to Saranac Lake because of news articles. When I have an announcement to make, believe me you’ll know.”
This comes after Stefanik pressured Hochul to say whether she supported the new Democratic nominee for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has made controversial statements criticizing Israel and promoting Palestine and who identifies as a Democratic Socialist.
Hochul has since said she plans to meet with Mamdani to discuss his ideas for the city but has not yet issued a full endorsement.
Stefanik has said that as the leader of the New York Democratic Party, Hochul “fully embraced the antisemitic, Communist nominee,” adding, “she owns this catastrophe.”
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Earlier this month, Stefanik told a Republican crowd in Staten Island she was “strongly considering” entering the race for governor. Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
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Earlier this month, Stefanik told a Republican crowd in Staten Island she was “strongly considering” entering the race for governor. She unveiled a new state political action committee, Save New York, which appears aimed at further cementing her status as a heavyweight in Empire State GOP politics.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.