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.

Stefanik launched her campaign with a post on social media, calling Hochul “the worst governor in America.”

Hochul shared a statement of her own, calling the congresswoman President Trump’s “number one cheerleader in Congress and his right-hand woman in his war on New York.”

“Apparently, screwing over New Yorkers in Congress wasn’t enough – now she’s trying to bring Trump’s chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state,” the governor wrote. “While Stefanik puts Trump first and New York last, Governor Hochul is lowering costs, cutting middle-class taxes, and fighting for the New Yorkers Stefanik abandoned.”