Elise Stefanik, the Republican congresswoman from New York and a fervent Donald Trump defender, has officially launched her long-anticipated bid for governor — but the debut was almost immediately overshadowed by a major misstep: her campaign website went live in chaos.
Stefanik, who has represented her House district for a decade, has been quietly lining up endorsements from local Republicans and influential party figures. But the rollout of her campaign website quickly drew ridicule across social media. The site initially featured placeholder text, broken sections, and images from her congressional campaigns rather than her new gubernatorial run.
New York Democratic Party rapid response director Addison Dick highlighted the absurdity:
“‘Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet,’ Nice website! @EliseStefanik’s botched launch continues.”
He added: “It’s not just Latin – Stefanik’s botched website also features classic ‘American values’ like: ‘Family first trust’; ‘Will alternative’; ‘Legacy planningegal issues.'”
Local journalists and political operatives piled on. Watertown Daily Times reporter Alex Gault wrote: “Really messed up campaign website for Team Stefanik. She’s been teasing this run for months!”
And Democratic Governors Association communications official Kevin Donohoe replied: “Elise Stefanik had 6 months+ to plan today’s launch and her website still isn’t done.”
Even Governor Kathy Hochul’s team couldn’t resist: “10/10 work here by Stefanik,” wrote her communications director, Sarafina Chitika.
Stefanik’s campaign announcement wasn’t all digital misfires. She has spent recent months ramping up attacks on Hochul, repeatedly calling her “the worst governor in America” and accusing her of having “bent the knee to Commie Mamdani,” referring to the mayor-elect of New York City. In her official announcement, Stefanik wrote:
“Kathy Hochul is the Worst Governor in America. Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery bills. When New Yorkers were looking for leadership from our Governor, she bent the knee to the raging Defund the Police, Tax Hiking Communist causing catastrophe for New York families.”
Stefanik has branded herself “ultra-Maga” and “proud of it,” but her political career wasn’t always so hard-right. She first won her congressional seat in 2014 at age 30, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the House, with a relatively moderate voting record. She shifted sharply in 2019 during the Trump impeachment hearings, backing efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s election win and voting to reject Pennsylvania’s results, even as she condemned the January 6 Capitol attack.
Trump once nominated Stefanik to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but she was later pulled amid concerns about Republicans’ slim House majorities. Now, she’s looking to build on the 2022 gubernatorial race, when Trump-loyalist Lee Zeldin held Hochul to an unexpectedly narrow loss.
The Democratic Governors Association responded swiftly to her bid:
“Stefanik has spent her career selling out New Yorkers to Donald Trump – and that is exactly why she is going to lose to Kathy Hochul next November. From gutting health care to backing cost-raising tariffs, Stefanik’s record as Trump’s cheerleader in chief could not be more toxic with New York voters. It’s no wonder even Republicans have admitted that ‘ultra-Maga’ Stefanik is a uniquely flawed general election candidate. Bring it on, Elise.”
Even with the website fiasco and a controversial record as a Trump ally, Stefanik appears determined to make the race competitive. But if her campaign debut is any indication, her run for governor may be off to a bumpy start.
