In a video, Republican Stefanik calls the state's incumbent Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, "the worst" in America.
The gubernatorial election will be held in conjunction with the mid-term elections to Congress in November next year.
In January, Elise Stefanik was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the UN ambassador. However, he withdrew the nomination in light of concerns that the Republican majority in the House of Representatives would be too small.
New York State is considered a solid Democratic stronghold. New York City this week elected left-wing Democrat Zohran Mamdani as mayor.
