Elise Stefanik soon to announce run for NY governor: NYC GOP councilwoman Inna Vernikov

“If, God forbid, Mamdani should win, I’m going to be encouraging Republicans to stay in New York,” Vernikov said. “We have a governor’s race coming up, and I think we can win that race, especially if Mamdani is the mayor. I’m going to be working my butt off to make sure that if it’s Elise Stefanik, she wins.

Vernikov has predicted that Stefanik would announce her gubernatorial run shortly after the mayoral election, positioning herself as the conservative alternative to New York’s increasingly left-wing leadership. "She’s supposed to announce right after the mayoral election," she said, adding that "I think that there is a pathway for her to win governor. And I think that we can change a lot if she’s governor."

Mamdani, an anti-Israel member of the Democratic Socialists of America, rose to prominence after winning the Democratic primary in June through New York’s ranked-choice voting system.

He has vowed to raise taxes on the wealthy, already among the highest in the nation, dismantle traditional policing, and pursue what he calls an “economic justice” agenda that includes redistributing private property and expanding socialized housing.

Despite his ideological opposition to capitalism, Mamdani will now govern the financial capital of the world.

He often cites the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks as a defining moment in his life, claiming that the real issue following 9/11 was not the thousands murdered by al-Qaeda, but the fear his relative, initially described as his aunt, later clarified as his father’s cousin, stopped taking the subway because she "did not feel safe in her hijab."

Mamdani has been mentored by far-left activist Linda Sarsour, a controversial figure with a history of anti-Israel statements who has vowed to “hold him accountable” to the activist base that helped propel him into office.

Vernikov posted on X following Mamdani's victory Tuesday night, "I’m encouraging every Republican NOT to leave New York. Now that Mamdani will be our mayor, Democrats will pay. The next governor of New York State is a republican. So is the Attorney General. And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure of it."

Councilwoman Vernikov, who represents one of the largest Jewish districts in New York City, said Mamdani’s victory represents “a total takeover” of the Democratic Party by radical socialists.

“When Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Mamdani, that was it,” Vernikov said. “That kind of set in stone that the Democratic Party is now the Democratic Party of Zohran Mamdani. It is not the Democratic Party anymore. It is the Democratic Socialist of America, which is Communist.”

She added that the election’s outcome will have ripple effects far beyond New York.

“Democrats know this is going to create a lot of trouble for them,” she said. “Republicans are going to use it across the state and across the country. And we’re going to win a lot of seats because Zohran Mamdani is now the face of the Democratic Party.”

Vernikov said that Jewish voters, particularly those from former Soviet republics who fled communism and antisemitism, turned out in record numbers to oppose Mamdani. “The fear of a Mamdani administration scares the living hell out of people, and so they’re coming out to vote in droves against Mamdani.”

But despite long lines and unprecedented mobilization, their efforts fell short. “We’re seeing Orthodox Jews, secular Jews, Russian-speaking Jews, everybody’s really petrified,” she said. “They escaped the exact ideology that Mamdani represents. They’ve seen this movie before.”

Vernikov herself made headlines earlier in the campaign for endorsing Andrew Cuomo, an unconventional move by a Republican, in an effort to stop Mamdani. She said the decision was about “protecting New York from extremism,” not party loyalty.

A recent poll found that 25 percent of New York City residents, or about 2.1 million people, said they would consider leaving the city if Mamdani were elected, citing fears over safety, taxation, and economic decline.