“President Donald Trump’s astonishingly chummy Oval Office meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani could not have come at a worse time for Rep. Elise Stefanik,” Politico reports.

“The New York Republican is mounting an uphill gubernatorial bid in a deep blue state, building her campaign on the argument that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is the nation’s worst chief executive — and tying Hochul to the 34-year-old democratic socialist who will soon lead New York City.”

“Trump blew up that message in minutes.”

A new Siena poll in New York finds Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) favorability and job approval ratings are each down five points from September.

However, she continues to have a huge lead, 56 to 16%, in a Democratic primary against Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (D), and a significant 20-point lead, 52 to 32%, over Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) in a general election matchup.

“Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) aims to challenge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in next year’s elections — and survive a tough midterm environment — by targeting New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as much as her actual opponents,” Axios reports.

“Stefanik’s gambit pulls back the curtain on a big part of Republicans’ emerging 2026 strategy — weather President Trump’s growing unpopularity by casting Democrats as socialists in Mamdani’s mold.”

NY1: GOP leaders quickly coalesce around Stefanik in campaign for New York governor.

Rep. Elise Stefanik has built out an extensive political team as she prepares to launch a 2026 campaign for New York governor in November, Axios reports.

Stefanik has more than $13 million in cash on hand — more than any other New York House Republican in recent history — and is hiring a slate of veteran political operatives as she seeks to be New York’s first GOP governor since George Pataki.

A new Manhattan Institute poll in New York finds Elise Stefanik (R) leading Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) by one point in next year’s race for governor, 43% to 42% among registered voters.

A new Siena poll in New York finds Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) with a 52% to 27% lead over Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) in the gubernatorial race, a big increase from the 45% to 31% advantage the poll gave the incumbent a month ago.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) job approval and favorability ratings are up a little from June, but her lead in a potential gubernatorial race against Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) fell to 14 points, 45% to 31%, down from a 23-point lead in June, 47% to 24%, according to a new Siena Poll.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) leads each of three potential Republican 2026 gubernatorial candidates by at least 20 points, according to a new Siena College Poll.

Hochul leads Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman 44% to 19%; she leads Rep. Elise Stefanik 47% to 24%; and she leads Rep. Mike Lawler 44% to 24%.

Said pollster Don Levy: “While the early leads seem large, Hochul is not hitting the ‘magic’ 51% mark against any of these opponents and in each matchup, between a quarter and a third of voters wasn’t able to choose between the two candidates.”

“Rep. Elise Stefanik has a massive edge over other Republicans in a hypothetical party primary to take on Gov. Kathy Hochul next year, a new poll found,” the New York Post reports.

“Some 64% of Republicans would support Stefanik — while only 8% would back Hudson Valley Rep. Michael Lawler.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is preparing to officially launch her campaign for New York governor, The Hill reports.

“When Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York chose Antonio Delgado to be her lieutenant governor in 2022, she had nothing but the highest praise for her new No. 2,” the New York Times reports.

“She said Mr. Delgado, then a rising Black political star who represented a competitive House district, was a ‘battle-tested campaigner.’ She praised his work ethic and said that his ability to “unite communities” would serve her administration’s goals.”

“Three years later, their partnership has completely disintegrated. After months of open political warfare with Ms. Hochul, Mr. Delgado said Monday he would challenge her in next year’s Democratic primary.”

A new Siena Research poll in New York finds just 36% of voters are prepared to re-elect Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), compared to 55% who want “someone else,” a net 10-point negative movement from April.

“President Trump is taking steps to clear the Republican primary field for Rep. Elise Stefanik to run for New York governor, bolstering an ally once poised to serve in his administration,” Axios reports.

“Trump last week endorsed two of Stefanik’s potential rivals for governor — New York Rep. Mike Lawler and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — for re-election to their current posts.”

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told Politico his decision about running for governor will come down to whether he thinks he can win the general election, not pressure from Trump.

For members: Trump Boxes in Mike Lawler

New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (D) “won’t commit to endorsing his own boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, for reelection in 2026,” Politico reports.

Said Delgado: “My focus right now isn’t on the election. My focus is on governing right now. That’s the focus.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) sure sounds like he’s ready to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in a Democratic primary.

New York Times: “Many lieutenant governors toil in the deep shadows to serve their state governors. But Mr. Delgado has apparently gone rogue, fueling speculation that he may seek to challenge Ms. Hochul’s re-election bid in 2026.”

“He has done little to tamp down the rumors, telling donors that he plans on running for a statewide office. In an interview, he said that he had no ‘intention’ of challenging Ms. Hochul in 2026, but also allowed that he planned to ‘stay ready’ and that he wanted to be an ‘independent actor.’”

Said Delgado: “I definitely plan to be a part of the future of New York. I’m ready to serve in whatever capacity New Yorkers think is best.”