Hochul challenges Stefanik after announcing gubernatorial bid: 'BRING IT ON'

Elise Stefanik will clean up Kathy Hochul's catastrophe and restore New York's greatness. Elise Stefanik for governor. It's time to save New York. Another major political showdown is taking shape in New York. Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik officially launching her bid to unseat Governor Kathy Hochul and she's coming out swinging. In her announcement, Stefanik calls Hochul, quote, the worst governor in America. She also highlighted Hochul's supportive Democratic Socialist mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani. Here she is on Fox this morning. We saw a raging anti-Semite pro-Hamas communist who wants to raise taxes and frankly he barely won the majority of New York City voters. Kathy Hochul endorsed him and bent the knee. She has failed New Yorkers. So this is a broad coalition of Republicans, independents and Democrats who know that enough is enough. We need common sense leadership to make New York affordable and safe again. Governor Hochul's campaign with this statement, our campaign's message to Trump's number one cheerleader, bring it on. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions about why sellout Stefanik would be a disaster for New York. It just so happens to be our favorite topic in this video. Now Elise Stefanik is running for governor of New York. To do what she's always done, put Trump first. She is phenomenal. She is a friend of mine. Phenomenal at putting Trump ahead of you. So poll taken before Mamdani's victory in Stefanik's announcement shows the governor's race in a dead heat with Stefanik up by one point. New York has not elected a Republican governor since George Pataki in 2002. Talk about it with Miranda Devine, New York Post columnist and Fox News contributor. Always great to see you, Miranda. You too, Shannon. OK, so let's start with this governor's race because New York City is not New York State, but it is a big chunk of New York State. What do you take from Tuesday night's election and what it says about next year's gubernatorial election there? Look, I think that the fact that Mamdani is such a threat to New Yorkers, common sense New Yorkers, Jewish New Yorkers, anyone who cares about crime and the cost of living, because of course it's socialist policies in New York that have sent the cost of living sky high and hilarious that they're doubling down on that prescription. Elise Stefanik has a very good chance. Just with a note of caution that Lee Zeldin was also a very good gubernatorial candidate. He lost to Kathy Hochul by six points, despite getting the highest vote total for a Republican since Pataki, since 2002. So it's an uphill climb. And the reason is not New York State, which is pretty red. It's New York City, which is just so dominated by not just Democrats now, but democratic socialists who have got a lot of energy and are very good at bringing out the vote, let's call it. But I do think that because suddenly everyone's minds will be focused on the threat that Mamdani poses. The fact that Kathy Hochul, who is as left as it comes, her soft on crime and high taxing policies have already brought New York to its knees. And she was just heckled by Democrats in Puerto Rico and Mamdani supporters there chanting tax the rich. So she's just not left enough for them. And I think that's going to be a bridge too far for regular New Yorkers, which gives Elise Stefanik a rails run. Yeah. Do you think that the contrast between Elise Stefanik and Zoran Mamdani next year brings out a different electorate? Because you mentioned the enthusiasm. Our polls kept showing that people who were voting for Zoran Mamdani, who tended to be a lot younger, they were super enthusiastic about showing up to the polls. Not so much for the Cuomo and Sliwa voters, but 2016 or 2026 is a different game. Yes, absolutely. And look, for New Yorkers, I know myself when I went to the polls, just what a horrible choice we were offered. Just you know, Cuomo, just everyone hated him. And so to have to vote for him because it was against Mamdani was really very difficult for many New Yorkers and many just didn't bother doing it. And so I think with Stefanik, it's very different because she is youngish. She's enthusiastic. She's a woman. You know, Mamdani got something like 90% of young women. And she's also incredibly energetic, articulate. And she also, I mean, for Jewish New Yorkers who are looking now down the barrel of a really anti-Jewish, not just anti-Israel agenda from Mamdani and his supporters, who really are driven by hatred. And everything they do seems to be about either anti-Trump or anti-Israel. I think Elise Stefanik is in a really good position to be the antidote to that poison. OK, so let's dig into this a little bit more. The mayor-elect there now, Democratic Socialist Zohra Mamdani, facing new backlash today as concerns continue to grow over his positions, as you mentioned, on Israel, the policies that his administration may pursue. His critics say he's an anti-Semite. Here he is at the mayoral debate last month. I'm proud to be one of the first elected officials in this state who called for a ceasefire. And the reason that we call for that is not only for the end of the genocide, but also an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid. We also have to ensure that it addresses the conditions that preceded this, conditions like occupation, like the siege and apartheid. Now activist Linda Sarsour, a close ally and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is urging Democrats to remove any party officials who support Israel. She says they should, quote, not keep their jobs. An elite document from the Democratic Socialists of America is further flaming the flames of outrage. It demands that the incoming Mamdani administration do all kinds of things, like divest city pension funds from Israel, ban Israeli products in city-run stores, and end NYPD training with Israeli defense partners. Now critics lighting up social media, New York Congressman Mike Lawler calls it complete and utter insanity. New York business giant Bill Ackman put it simply, this is bad. And one conservative commentator warns anybody who ignores the rise of this sub-sect of the Democratic Party does so at their own peril. Miranda, we know leading up to the election of Mamdani, Linda Sarsour was one of the folks out there saying, listen, he's going to be accountable to us. She says he doesn't get elected and then, quote, do whatever the hell he wants. She's got some plans. Certainly does. And look, the mask is off. And this happened so quickly. That smiley face that Zoran Mamdani put on during the campaign, just the night of his victory speech, there he is up on stage, you know, not the smiley guy anymore. The punitive, cruel ideologue. And Linda Sarsour and the rest of the people who are surrounding him, you just saw them. I mean, Hassan Piker, Mehdi Hassan, these are people who despise America and its founding principles. They're driven by hatred of the other. And for them, Israel is a convenient scapegoat. But, you know, it's all of us. And I think that you see the Democratic Socialists of America, which is Mamdani's faction, their list of demands. And Linda Sarsour is there in Puerto Rico telling Democrats, threatening Democrat candidates, that if you don't line up behind us on our anti-Israel agenda, anti-America agenda, then we are going to primary you. You are not going to keep your job. And she said, we don't care if you believe in what we say or not. She's using fear as the tactic. And this is always what communists do. It's always coercion. It's all sweet as pie until they get power. And then it's coercion to entrench their power. Yeah, interesting. She said, I don't care if you chant Free Palestine because you believe it or not. I just want you to do it. I don't care, like you said, what actually motivates you. We just want you to get with our positions. And that is what matters. OK, Miranda, thank you very much. Always great to see you and your insights. Thank you.