A source close to Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., stated that President Donald Trump’s steadfast refusal to endorse her bid for governor of New York was the key factor in her decision Friday to end her campaign.
“Just as Peter denied Jesus Christ three times, so did Trump deny Elise an endorsement three times,” the anonymous source said. “The latest case occurred in the Oval Office last week, while he was flanked by the ‘Miracle on Ice’ Olympic team.”
The same source described the final refusal as the “last straw” for the six-term congresswoman.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, also considered a friend of Trump’s, made the decision last week to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination and thereby denied Stefanik an uncontested path to the GOP blessing.
“I have always felt Blakeman would be stronger in the general election anyway,” historian David Pietrusza, who knows all things New York, noted. “He’s pro-choice, more gay-friendly and a downstater, and — like Lee Zeldin — Jewish.”
But Pietrusza also observed that among his fellow upstate Republicans, “enthusiasm was running very high for Stefanik around these parts.”
“My wife went to the Schenectady County Republican dinner about a week ago,” he added. “It was packed to hear Stefanik and just absolutely wild about her.”
At 41, Stefanik had long made clear her desire to leave Congress.
Earlier this year, Trump nominated her to be U.N. ambassador but withdrew her nomination when it appeared that, in a House with Republicans holding a three-seat majority, a prolonged vacancy might endanger parts of the president’s agenda.
In abandoning her gubernatorial bid, Stefanik also restated her intention not to seek reelection in the upstate 21st District.
