North Country GOP feud simmers over Stefanik

A private 2021 conversation fueled a rumored GOP primary threat against Rep. Elise Stefanik, while NY’s congressional races and state budget timing intensify.

A private meeting in 2021 sparked enough political buzz to raise the prospect of a GOP primary challenge to Rep. Elise Stefanik, and the episode is now emerging as another sign of how New York’s Republican politics are being reshaped by redistricting jitters and Trump-era power dynamics.

Republican Assemblymember Robert Smullen sat down with Stefanik five years ago to discuss a rural development bill. but multiple people with direct knowledge of the private exchange say he also floated the idea of challenging her in a party primary.. The conversation took place in July 2021, according to those people, who were granted anonymity to discuss it.

Smullen later did not follow through.. In a statement. he denied ever planning to challenge Stefanik for the nomination. saying he “never planned to primary Elise Stefanik” and that he has “too much respect for her” and her work representing NY-21 and Upstate New York.. He also argued that the account of a feud misrepresents political conversations that can occur between longtime allies.

The meeting appears to have taken place as Republican lawmakers prepared for what many expected to be an especially difficult round of redistricting in deep blue New York.. One reason the possibility of a primary threat emerged. the people said. was the prospect that Stefanik’s home could end up pulled out of the sprawling North Country district she has represented since 2015.. One person involved in or briefed on the episode described the moment as Smullen being “set straight” by the end of the meeting. characterizing the claim as both audacious and insufficiently attuned to polling and the political environment.

Smullen’s story also sits in the broader context of Stefanik’s rapid rise in the House GOP leadership hierarchy.. She replaced then-Rep.. Liz Cheney as Republican conference chair after Cheney’s emergence as a prominent critic of President Donald Trump. a turning point that saw Stefanik become more aligned with the MAGA movement and. for a time. a frequent Trump ally in Congress.. That shift matters in New York primaries. where internal party cohesion can be less about shared ideology and more about which factions candidates believe will carry the day with voters.

Despite the rumored threat, Smullen and Stefanik have maintained close political contact over the years.. The people say Smullen’s potential primary challenge was tempered. in practice. by continued support that included donations to Stefanik’s campaigns.. Smullen has donated frequently. including thousands of dollars between 2020 and 2024. and Stefanik has also appeared alongside him at multiple public events. including fundraisers and rallies tied to his bid to remain in the Assembly.. Smullen’s statement emphasized those personal and political ties. including how he said Stefanik helped his family after his son was hospitalized and later died following a car strike.

Stefanik has not endorsed in the upcoming GOP primary that will determine who replaces her in the House.. Her decision to step away from reelection this year. after a short-lived run for governor. has helped set off a heated contest for a ruby-red seat that Trump has won repeatedly.. This vacuum is turning the spotlight onto who can claim the strongest alignment with national Republican politics while still convincing district voters at the local level.

For Smullen, the timing is particularly consequential.. He is now seeking the House seat that Stefanik is vacating. entering a June 23 Republican primary where he faces Republican Anthony Constantino. the Trump-endorsed candidate and CEO of the merchandise and printing company Sticker Mule.. Smullen’s entrance into the field reflects a strategy shaped by both congressional ambitions and the realities of state-level party building.

Constantino’s campaign has attracted high-profile support from Trump-allied figures. including political operative Roger Stone. former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. and retired Gen.. Michael Flynn.. Still. his candidacy has not unified Empire State Republicans. and the New York Republican Committee’s formal endorsement of Smullen in April—described as rare statewide leadership engagement in a GOP primary—signals that the party’s internal divisions may be as important as the general electoral landscape.

Separately, New York’s Democratic and progressive-aligned political ecosystem is also bracing for a close and consultant-driven congressional fight tied to the seat currently held by Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan.

Gov.. Kathy Hochul’s involvement has raised eyebrows in a race where her relationship to the primary process appears to be shifting.. Hochul, Rep.. Jerry Nadler. Assemblymember Micah Lasher. and strategist Morris Katz were spotted Tuesday at a bagel shop in Manhattan. where they filmed a video together for Lasher’s run for Congress.. State Sen.. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Council Member Gale Brewer were also there.

Lasher’s campaign is running for the Manhattan seat Nadler holds. and Lasher has already received Hochul’s endorsement. including announced support last month.. But the new video marks a more active public role than Hochul appeared willing to take in recent Democratic primaries. when she had adhered to a strict no-primary-endorsement stance even as she privately fundraised for some candidates.. In this contest, Hochul is stepping into the competition in a highly visible way.

The video plans also underscore the intensity of the Democratic primary itself.. Lasher is competing against Assemblymember Alex Bores, the Kennedy family’s Jack Schlossberg, and anti-Trump commentator George Conway.. For candidates. visibility and organizational momentum often matter as much as platform promises. especially when voters are choosing not only between individuals but also between sharply different approaches to national politics.

The gathering also points to a rare moment of détente between competing political consulting operations.. In a neighboring Republican primary contest in NY-10. Katz’s Fight Agency is backing former city comptroller Brad Lander’s challenge to Rep.. Dan Goldman, whose campaign is powered by consultants Haley Scott and Mark Guma.. On Lasher’s side, those same consultants are involved, and Katz can now be counted as a partner.. The shift suggests that professional rivalry in consulting can be softened when races open up room for cooperation.

Lasher campaign messaging framed the bagel meeting as a sign of unity among rival consultants and highlighted the expected partnership among Katz. Mark Guma. and Haley Scott.. At the same time, other political signals remain mixed.. The input from the mayoral world is unclear: there was no clear indication that Mayor Zohran Mamdani will directly wade into the primary for Nadler’s seat.. Still, Bores said he would “love” to receive a mayoral endorsement if it happens.

That interview exchange also reflected how endorsements and Jewish community concerns are being navigated in NY-12. a district with a prominent Jewish constituency.. Both Bores and Lasher were asked at a synagogue forum whether they regretted endorsing Mamdani in the general election. and neither said no outright. while qualifying their support for the mayor. whose political standing has drawn ire from some Jewish voters.

Inside New York’s Capitol, the pressure of a late budget has also begun reshaping the legislative calendar, pushing lawmakers toward standalone policy bills and leaving less room to absorb everything they want to pass.

Assemblymember David Weprin described the session’s pacing as later than usual. noting that lawmakers initially believed budget negotiations would be concluded sooner and that the Legislature could return earlier to routine bill work.. Instead, as budget talks stretched, the Capitol’s focus shifted over time, with advocacy groups increasingly turning to specific proposals.

In the same vein, Weprin joined Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Charlotte Hornets to push for expanded insurance coverage for stuttering.. Other groups pressed for bans on data centers, a herbicide prohibition, and new regulations on gun safes.. Legislative leaders have been moving through dense agendas even while budget negotiations continue to dominate the background.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. while announcing a consumer protection package Tuesday. acknowledged that it would have been preferable to have the budget resolved and major work underway sooner.. Yet she argued that the delay had not stopped lawmakers from prioritizing policy areas they care about.

Even if the budget is finalized next week, time remains tight.. Assemblymember Anna Kelles said there are only eight remaining session days. and the narrowing window is stirring talk of possible overtime.. Weprin predicted lawmakers could hold a special session after the end of the regular session to move bills that have not yet been completed.

Beyond state politics, tensions over antisemitic harassment and online hostility surfaced again in Washington, highlighting how far some public conflicts now spill into the federal arena.

Rep.. Mike Lawler called antisemitic insults he received from William Paul, the son of Sen.. Rand Paul, “reprehensible” and “fucking disgusting.” The confrontation reportedly occurred after Paul confronted Lawler about Rep.. Thomas Massie’s GOP primary election in Kentucky next week.. During the exchange. Lawler said Paul launched into an extended diatribe about Israel and Jews. including allegations tied to Paul Singer and claims that Lawler says leaned on common antisemitic tropes.

Lawler is not Jewish, but his district just north of New York City includes a large Jewish population.. He said the incident reflects a broader social problem. including hatred and vitriol he believes is showing up among young people and online.. Paul later responded on X. saying he had “too much to drink. ” apologized for remarks that he said do not reflect who he is. and said he is seeking help for a drinking problem.

While the political fight continues on multiple fronts. the broader backdrop in New York politics is being defined by overlapping contests: congressional primaries with high-stakes endorsements. state policy battles being squeezed by budget timing. and national-level debates over rhetoric. identity. and political legitimacy.

Elise Stefanik primary Robert Smullen NY-21 GOP primary Micah Lasher race Hochul Lasher video New York budget timing antisemitic insults