Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) proposed a new nickname for her potential New York gubernatorial rival, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY): “Hochulmander The Hypocrite.”
Stefanik released a new digital ad on Friday highlighting Hochul’s alleged hypocrisy in the past regarding redistricting in the state.
The ad largely focused on Hochul’s comments during a Monday morning press briefing with Texas Democrats, who fled their home state to stall state Republicans’ redistricting efforts.
At that press conference, Hochul appeared to endorse gerrymandering as a tactic against Republican congressional redrawing efforts.
“I’m tired of fighting this fight with my hand tied behind my back,” she said. “With all due respect to the good government groups, politics is a political process.”
The ad accuses Hochul of hypocrisy because of the state’s alleged gerrymandering by New York Democrats, who control the governor’s mansion and both state legislature chambers. New York Democrats’ first congressional map after the 2020 census was struck down by the state courts, who said that it constituted a partisan gerrymander.
Then the state’s independent commission was ordered to draw new congressional lines in 2023, before they were rejected by the state legislature, which drew its own map. That map is still in effect.
“Meet Hochul the Hypocrite regarding Redistricting. New York was ground zero for illegal gerrymandering led by Kathy Hochul the last two election cycles,” Stefanik said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
“Not only is the New York State Constitution crystal clear on redistricting, but importantly NY voters have overwhelming spoken on this issue at the ballot box,” she continued. “New Yorkers have defeated Hypocrite Hochul not once but TWICE on this. And we will defeat this unconstitutional illegal power grab from the Worst Governor in America once again to deliver fair district lines for the people of New York.”
Stefanik is running a shadow campaign for New York governor in 2026 against Hochul. She has fought with Hochul directly on several occasions on social media and in an Oversight Committee hearing in June.
The governor has responded directly, attacking Stefanik as if she’s already running against her. She often uses common gripes against Republicans, like Medicaid cuts and tariff support, to slam the North Country congresswoman.
“Massive price hikes are coming for New York families because of Donald Trump’s tariffs,” she posted on X. “Sellout Stefanik supports them. Why? She’d rather score political points with Trump than fight for you. I’m putting money back in New Yorkers’ pockets.”
In a different post last month, Hochul said, “Sellout Stefanik and House Republicans spent this month voting to rip that care away from 1.5 million New Yorkers.”
Stefanik is the top Republican looking to unseat Hochul in 2026. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) has pledged to run for reelection to his House seat, and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, another gubernatorial competitor, isn’t polling as well as Stefanik.
New York Republicans have been caught in an awkward position as Texas tries to redraw its congressional lines and ensure a GOP victory in the 2026 midterm elections. Because of Texas’s insistence, Hochul has pressed for redistricting in New York as well, potentially endangering Stefanik and Lawler’s House seats. Lawler has expressed open opposition to mid-decade redistricting.
Stefanik’s camp says she supports once-a-decade redistricting that’s enshrined in the state’s constitution. Hochul has recently floated striking the provision from the constitution.
While the digital ad aims to expose Hochul’s alleged redistricting hypocrisy, New York-based Democratic strategist Max Burns believes voters aren’t interested in the fight until something comes to pass.
“I don’t think most Americans are paying attention to this redistricting fight because the last decade has numbed them to the mere threat of upheaval,” he told the Washington Examiner. “At this point, most voters don’t want to be bothered until things start upheaving.”
Ultimately, Burns said, the redistricting fight with Hochul appears to be one Stefanik is “really not that interested in having.”
KATHY HOCHUL WELCOMES TO NEW YORK TEXAS DEMOCRATS WHO FLED REDISTRICTING VOTE: ‘THIS IS A WAR’
Many Republicans have been caught between whether to support the Texas redistricting effort or not. One California Republican went as far as to introduce a bill to halt it altogether. Burns believes some Republicans, like Stefanik, need a more cohesive message as to whether they want to push redistricting.
“At some point Republicans like Elise will need to decide if they think gerrymandering is bad or not. Right now they’re trying to have it both ways and pleasing no one,” he said.