Elise Stefanik ends bid for New York governor and plans to leave Congress

Trump-allied Republican said attempting to unseat Democrat Kathy Hochul ‘is not an effective use of our time’

Republican US representative Elise Stefanik – a staunch ally of Donald Trump who calls herself “ultra-Maga” – is ending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek re-election to Congress.

Stefanik wrote on X: “It is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York”.