Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is releasing a book about what she calls the “far-left indoctrination, division, and moral rot” at higher education institutions as she weighs an expected run for governor in 2026.
On April 7, 2026, Threshold Editions, a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster, will publish Stefanik’s new book Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities. The account builds off of the viral moment in a congressional hearing in 2023 in which Stefanik questioned the presidents of elite universities on their responses to antisemitism.
“Stefanik exposes how the nation’s most prestigious institutions abandoned their founding ideals of freedom of thought, open debate, and academic excellence, and instead embraced a culture of censorship, radical leftist groupthink, antisemitism, and moral cowardice that has spread far beyond campus walls to every corner of American life,” the Poisoned Ivies book description reads.
In that viral December 2023 hearing, Stefanik questioned the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, asking, “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct on bullying and harassment?” The three presidents had difficulty answering the questions, sparking outrage and calls for their resignation, and, ultimately, the resignations of two of them.
“The hearing heard around the world was unlike any other experience I have had serving at the highest levels of Congress over the past decade. It set off an earthquake in academia and delivered accountability that was long overdue. The moral and academic crisis within America’s most elite universities is wide and deep, and it is already having far-reaching and devastating impacts,” Stefanik said in the book announcement.
The book description calls Poisoned Ivies a “damning exposé and a blueprint for reform.” Stefanik herself is a Harvard alumna.
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Since President Donald Trump pulled her nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations in favor of her keeping her congressional seat, Stefanik has been eyeing a gubernatorial run, positioning herself as the foil to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY). An initial, internal poll of the suspected matchup showed Stefanik closer than expected, sitting behind her possible Democratic opponent by 5 points.
If Stefanik does announce her run to be New York’s next governor, Poisoned Ivies will be published in the heat of primary season, about two months ahead of the expected primary election day. General election day in 2026 is set for Nov. 3, and Stefanik, who has not yet announced her candidacy, has raised $12 million in campaign funds.