Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Elise Stefanik tore into Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday night, accusing her of “endorsing a raging antisemite” while simultaneously accepting an award from a prominent Jewish organization.

Speaking at the Zionist Organization of America’s annual gala in Manhattan, Stefanik said Hochul’s support for newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani represents a “moral collapse” in leadership.

“We know we are at a tipping point when the most important city in the world elects a raging antisemite, defund-the-police, tax-hiking Communist as mayor,” Stefanik said. “And this mayor was endorsed by none other than the weakest and worst governor in America, Kathy Hochul.”

Stefanik accused Mamdani of defending Hamas and aligning himself with “terrorist sympathizers.” She noted that Mamdani has “vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu” and has a “family history steeped in sympathy for suicide bombers and terrorists.”

Stefanik’s fiery remarks came as Hochul receives backlash from Jewish leaders for backing Mamdani’s campaign amid growing concern over antisemitic incidents in New York. The congresswoman said Hochul’s endorsement was “a betrayal of every Jewish New Yorker.”

“At the very moment when New Yorkers needed moral clarity, Hochul showed weakness and endorsed a jihadist for mayor,” Stefanik said. “She threw Jewish New Yorkers under the bus—all because of her abysmal polling.”

The Republican leader, who launched her 2026 gubernatorial campaign last week, framed her bid as a “moral crusade” as much as a political one.

“This is not just a fight about New York’s economy,” she said. “It’s a fight for the soul of our state—to stand up against antisemitism and moral cowardice.”

Stefanik, who was honored with the ZOA’s Maccabee Warrior Award for combating antisemitism, tied her campaign rhetoric to broader concerns over hate crimes in the state. She cited a surge in antisemitic incidents, including the painting of a swastika outside Brooklyn’s Magen David Yeshiva the day after Mamdani’s election.

“That is what Kathy Hochul’s New York looks like,” Stefanik said. “New Yorkers deserve a leader who will say, ‘Not on my watch.’”

Mamdani and Hochul both condemned the vandalism, but Stefanik argued their statements rang hollow, accusing the governor of “blessing” a political culture of antisemitism.

“Kathy Hochul hasn’t just allowed this downward spiral into dangerous antisemitism—she has blessed it, signed it, embraced it, and endorsed it,” Stefanik said to applause.

The Hochul campaign hit back, accusing Stefanik of hypocrisy and attempting to weaponize Jewish concerns for political gain.

“Elise Stefanik has cozied up to antisemites, even calling her allies who said they ‘love Hitler’ the ‘backbone’ of the New York GOP,” said Addison Dick, a spokesman for the New York State Democratic Party. “Governor Hochul is combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination head-on, ensuring all New Yorkers feel safe and supported.”

Despite the Hochul camp’s insistence that she takes antisemitism seriously, Rep. Stefanik’s remarks drew a standing ovation at the ZOA event, where billionaire Miriam Adelson praised her as a “steadfast ally of Israel and the Jewish people.”

“When Jewish New Yorkers needed leadership the most,” she said, “Kathy Hochul bent the knee to Commie Mamdani and surrendered New York to the antisemitic socialists. That’s not leadership—it’s surrender.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)