Rep. Elise Stefanik fired off a subtle burn at failed GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman Thurdsay after he blasted her as a “selfish, do nothing politician” in the aftermath of a Republican drubbing on Election Night.
“I know feelings are raw in the aftermath of Tuesday’s result so I will cut some slack because while I don’t know from experience, as I have never lost any of my seven elections, I know that this is a tough loss in NY and I imagine it takes time to process,” the upstate New York congresswoman wrote on X.
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She went on to set the record straight on her involvement in the party after fellow GOP member Blakeman said she “didn’t lift a finger to help Republican candidates in New York this year.”
“Over the past decade, I have worked hard to campaign, support, and raise over $100M to help boost Republicans up and down the ticket across the country and the state,” Stefanik said.
A simmering intraparty beef between the pair went public Wednesday, a day after Gov. Kathy Hochul beat Blakeman in a landslide victory – part of a national Democratic blue wave that ripped control of Congress, the Senate and several former red states from Republican hands.
Stefanik, who had eyed running for governor before Blakeman took the party nomination and the endorsement of President Trump, called the candidate’s campaign “low energy” after she largely sat on the sidelines during election season.
Blakeman had previously told The Post he called Stefanik to ask for her support and endorsement but never heard back from her. But Stefanik noted that she voted for Blakeman along with the rest of the ticket.
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“[I] have worked for decades helping Republicans across the state and country, including him,” Stefanik wrote.
Their public beef caught the attention of voters, members of both parties, and even Hochul herself, who commented on the intra-party feud with a gif of boxing referee Steve Willis reacting to two fighters pouncing on each other.
Social media users joined in the fray, saying the loss was on the candidate not on the congresswoman.
“To be fair, you didn’t even win the county that you’re supposed to represent — you went down with the Trumptanic,” wrote one commenter.
“There was just no reason for him to launch a personal attack on you,” wrote Kyle Raccio, a self-described MAGA Republican voter.
“This is what we call a mature adult — Bruce was wrong to call you out,” wrote Jewish activist Moshe Spern.
