New York Governor Kathy Hochul unleashed a fiery condemnation of Republican Representative Elise Stefanik on Friday, responding to what she characterized as "disgusting" and "abhorrent" Islamophobic attacks against New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Political Tensions Escalate Over Controversial Language
The conflict intensified when Stefanik, who is positioning herself to challenge Hochul in next year's gubernatorial race, continued her pattern of targeting Mamdani with inflammatory rhetoric. The congresswoman took to social media platform X to declare, "If he walks like a jihadist If he talks like a jihadist If he campaigns like a jihadist If he supports jihadists, He's a jihadist. And he's @KathyHochul's jihadist."
This latest attack came despite former President Donald Trump having previously dismissed Stefanik's characterization of Mamdani during their Oval Office meeting. Stefanik appeared to distance herself from Trump after he praised the mayor-elect, writing instead, "We all want NYC to succeed. But we'll have to agree to disagree on this one."
Hochul's Blunt Response Goes Viral
During a live interview on MS NOW with host Chris Hayes, Governor Hochul didn't hold back her assessment of Stefanik's comments. "She's full of shit," Hochul stated bluntly before quickly adding, "I'm sorry. I mean she really is."
The Democratic governor emphasized that Stefanik has taken "such an extreme position" that she has managed to surpass even Donald Trump in her rhetoric. "She's even more extreme than Donald Trump. I didn't think that was possible but she's succeeded in proving that today," Hochul remarked, adding that Stefanik has "out-MAGA'd Donald Trump, the founder of the MAGA movement."
Hochul sarcastically noted that she hopes Stefanik feels "proud of herself" for "continuing to spew hateful thoughts and deeds" and attempting to spread more violent political rhetoric. The governor concluded that even President Trump found Stefanik's position "too far for him."
Background of the Political Feud
The political conflict has been brewing since Mamdani's surprising mayoral primary victory in June. Stefanik has repeatedly targeted the mayor-elect with similar language in recent months, while Hochul had initially declined to endorse Mamdani before finally doing so in September.
At the time of her endorsement, Hochul wrote that she was looking for the next mayor to not "surrender" to Trump, indicating the broader political stakes involved in the upcoming gubernatorial race where Stefanik hopes to unseat the incumbent governor.
The public nature of this exchange and Hochul's unusually direct language signal escalating tensions in New York politics as the 2026 gubernatorial contest begins to take shape.
