Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, would narrowly defeat incumbent New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) in a potential head-to-head matchup, according to a new poll from the conservative Manhattan Institute.
The survey shows Stefanik leading Hochul by one point, 43% to 42%, among registered voters. The same poll found Stefanik with a wider lead — 43% to 37% — over Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who is challenging Hochul in the Democratic primary.
An internal poll released earlier this month by a political action committee aligned with Stefanik showed a tighter race, with Hochul leading 48% to 43%. However, that poll also indicated that Stefanik would edge out Hochul, 46.4% to 45.9%, if voters were informed that the governor had endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the progressive frontrunner in this year’s New York City mayoral race.
To be sure, this is nothing short of a political nightmare for Democrats – who, by the way, are in danger of losing the governor’s race in neighboring blue New Jersey too, by the way.
Stefanik is widely expected to enter the New York gubernatorial race but has not yet formally launched a campaign. In response to the Manhattan Institute poll, her congressional campaign issued the following statement:
In a heavily Democrat leaning state, an independent poll that is heavily weighted towards registered Democrat voters shows Republican Elise Stefanik leading Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul in a head to head match up.
This marks the first time in decades that any potential Republican gubernatorial candidate (and in this case, the likely nominee) is polling ahead of a Democrat incumbent Governor, even before any official announcement.
In a decision that she will come to regret, Kathy Hochul lives up to her title as the Worst Governor in America when she chose to bend the knee and put New Yorkers LAST by desperately endorsing the Defund the Police, tax hiking, raging Antisemite Socialist Zohran Mamdani who will destroy New York.
Kathy Hochul and single party Democrat rule have failed New York making it the most unaffordable state in the country with the highest taxes, energy, utility, rent, and grocery bills making it unaffordable to raise a family, work, and start a business.
New Yorkers of all political parties are hungry for new commonsense leadership after decades of Hochul’s failed single party Democrat rule.
Elise Stefanik and the people of New York can and will win this righteous fight to Save New York.
This is happening in the age of MAGA, the age of Donald Trump – and the full-on left-wing meltdown shift currently being embraced by the ‘rising stars’ of the worst political party in the history of our country: Democrats.
Tulsi Gabbard Outsmarts Letitia James: Stunning Move Lands New York AG Behind Bars! 
one of the most jaw-dropping political dramas of the decade, New York Attorney General Letitia James—long a crusader against high-profile corruption—now finds herself at the center of her own scandal, ensnared by a relentless exposé led by former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. What began as whispers of a real estate irregularity exploded into a maelstrom of congressional inquiries, public outrage, and, ultimately, criminal charges that could end a political career and reshape the conversation about accountability at the highest levels.
The story opens in Brooklyn, where a seemingly innocuous brownstone—officially listed in mortgage paperwork as a four-unit dwelling—drew unexpected scrutiny. The problem? Anyone walking by could see five doorbells, five families, five separate floors. For ordinary real estate investors, “accidental” misclassification might result in a fine. But for Letitia James, the state’s top enforcer and a vocal advocate for property law compliance, this apparent discrepancy triggered a chain reaction.
Conservative watchdog groups, investigative journalists, and even some within her own party questioned if the paperwork was a technical glitch— or a methodical maneuver to receive preferential loan rates. Financial analyst Ed Martin, acting as an unofficial DOJ observer, was spotted examining the property, confirming suspicions that the story had found legs.
By the time the hashtag #JamesGate went viral, even mainstream outlets couldn’t ignore the unfolding spectacle.
Capitol Hill: Theater Meets Accountability
Sensing political opportunity or true injustice (or both), the House convened a rare bipartisan hearing. Despite waves of media spin, Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike packed the room, along with an overflow of journalists from every major network. Letitia James arrived polished and defiant, prepared to “own the narrative.”
But across the aisle sat Tulsi Gabbard, calm, composed, and quietly armed with a mountain of documentation. With the sharp timing of a trial lawyer and the restraint of a seasoned military officer, Tulsi delivered an opening salvo that set the tone: “When you say you have nothing to hide, does that include your mortgage declaration on the Brooklyn brownstone—listed as four units, despite five active tenants?”
For the first time, James wavered. Attempts to brush aside the questions as “internet conspiracy theories” only made things worse. Gabbard countered with hard filings from city property records, mortgage applications showing suspiciously low interest rates, and statements cross-checked by independent watchdog groups.
Receipts, Files, and a Showdown on Transparency
What followed was a barrage of evidence rarely matched in modern congressional proceedings. Gabbard exposed:
Delayed FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) Requests: Tulsi unveiled lawsuits from the Empire Center for Public Policy, documenting nine-month delays for basic nursing home statistics—redacted far beyond legal reason. When pressed, James could only cite “staffing shortages” and bureaucratic backlog, raising eyebrows in a chamber that saw her office swiftly subpoena political enemies.
Justice for Whom? Tulsi’s most damning moment came as she compared the AG’s harsh treatment of non-profit organizations (forced to hand over documents in 21 days) with her inability to produce public records for months on end. “You built your career on the gospel of disclosure,” Gabbard charged, “until it came knocking on your door.”Mortgage Math: Gabbard’s relentless line of questioning made it clear that the so-called “unit error” in James’s Brooklyn brownstone wasn’t just an honest mistake. It gave her favorable loan terms—exactly the type of fraud she prosecuted in others.
Each challenge was met with increasingly weak justifications from James, who turned to blame “clerical staff” and downplay accusations as politically motivated attacks.
The Unraveling: More Than Just Property
But what started with a doorbell count spiraled into a much deeper probe. Gabbard rolled out a digital presentation: LLCs tied to James, questionable campaign finance links, emails showing potential conflict between public business and private gain, and, most explosively, receipts tracing foreign wire transfers to entities connected with her campaign.
Gabbard cross-referenced official travel logs with suspicious fund allocations, and produced photo evidence—business class flights to Doha, lavish meals, undisclosed meetings with foreign fund managers—accompanied by a trail of missing or altered campaign finance documents.
James attempted to counterattack, accusing Gabbard of “right-wing mudslinging.” But as Tulsi reminded her: “You are the institution. And when institutions lie, it’s our duty to expose them.”
Committee Chaos and the Final Hammer Blow
The hearing reached a fever pitch as Gabbard revealed a Manhattan condo purchased through a shell LLC registered to one of James’s closest aides—still with a financial trail leading back to a shared family account. When James’s denials faltered, the spectacle reached its zenith: emails from James’s own government account showing involvement in transactions that violated established ethical boundaries.
Accusations of coddling discriminatory banks in exchange for campaign contributions, redirecting victim funds to shell nonprofits with ties to her reelection, and stonewalling independent audits turned the room from a hearing into a virtual courtroom.
By the time Tulsi methodically laid out the final piece—the wire transfer from a Qatar investment fund to a shadowy New York PAC with connections to James—the silence was thunderous.
James’s Fall: Public Outcry, Political Consequences, and Arrest
The media, smelling blood in the water, pounced. “The Fall of a Democratic Darling” became a trending headline. Major New York donors pulled support for James’s rumored gubernatorial bid as daily revelations laid bare a pattern of self-dealing and stonewalling. Protesters gathered outside the Attorney General’s office, chanting, “You lied to us, not for us.”
Within 48 hours, the Department of Justice announced an open criminal inquiry into potentially fraudulent disclosures, misuse of victim funds, and improper political contributions.
The final, devastating blow arrived when two whistleblowers from a Manhattan bank submitted statements under penalty of perjury, implicating James in regulatory decisions tainted by conflicts of interest.
Letitia James, once hailed as a paragon of progressive justice, was led from the Capitol in handcuffs pending indictment for fraud, obstruction, and abuse of office.