Billionaire Adelson praises Stefanik at gala, hopes she wins NY governor

SPECIAL – Billionaire philanthropist Miriam Adelson voiced her support for Rep. Elise Stefanik’s candidacy for New York governor during the Zionist Organization for Justice of America’s Louis D. Brandeis Awards Dinner Sunday night, praising her for combating antisemitism in government and higher education, although she did not make an official endorsement.

Republican House Speaker Stefanik was awarded the Zionist Organization of America’s Mortimer Zuckerman Maccabee Warrior Award for her efforts to combat anti-Semitism.

Introducing herself at the gala, Adelson praised Stefanik for confronting university leaders over anti-Semitism and cited her late husband Sheldon Adelson’s insistence on moral conviction.

“When I heard you talking to university administrators, I said to myself, ‘He has the courage to tell the truth,'” Adelson said. he said. “Sheldon used to say, ‘Stand up for what you believe in, even if you have to stand up alone,’ and you showed courage to us and to the world.”

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Adelson described Stefanik as a “great leader” and praised her defense of “the Jewish people, Israel and the Free World.”

“Thank you for continuing to be the brave woman that you are,” Adelson said. “I hereby embrace you for all your accomplishments and hope to visit you in the New York governor’s office after the election next year.”

Adelson, the majority owner of Las Vegas Sands and a philanthropist and physician whose net worth is estimated at over $30 billion, was a prominent Republican megadonor and supported the pro-Trump super PAC Preserve America in multiple election cycles.

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Miriam Adelson arrives ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on January 20, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool photo via AP)

The Zionist Organization of America event in New York brought together political and philanthropic leaders from across the pro-Israel community.

“I am honored to receive such high praise and support from my friend, Dr. Adelson, who serves as a pillar of Jewish advocacy and strength in her fight to ensure that the light of freedom, faith, and truth never fades,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital. “I thank him for his brilliant words of encouragement in my fight to save New York and fire Kathy Hochul.”

Stefanik launched her long-awaited Republican campaign for New York governor on Friday, entering the 2026 race by challenging Democratic Gov. Hochul.

Stefanik, the leading Republican in the House of Representatives and one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies, represents a conservative-leaning district in upstate New York and has been considering a gubernatorial run for months.

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The split image shows Representative Elise Stefanik on the left and New York Governor Kathy Hochul on the right. Stefanik has officially launched her 2026 campaign for governor, setting up a high-profile race that could reshape politics in one of America’s bluest states. (John Lamparski/Getty Images; Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“I’m running for governor to make New York affordable and safe. We’ve seen decades of one-party rule led by Democrats. And Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Stefanik said on “Fox & Friends” Friday morning.

“New York is the most affordable state in the country, with the highest taxes, the highest energy bills, the highest utility bills. We also have a crime crisis because Kathy Hochul brought us failed bail reform and embraced defunding the police Democrats,” Stefanik continued.

“And after this week… when we saw an angry anti-Semitic pro-Hamas communist wanting to raise taxes. And frankly, he barely won a majority of New York City voters, Kathy Hochul supported him and knelt down,” Stefanik said, referring to Democratic socialist New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. he added.

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Elise Stefanik launched her long-awaited Republican campaign for governor of New York on Friday. (Getty Images)

“I’m running for Governor to bring a new generation of leadership to Albany to make New York affordable and safe for families all across our great state,” Stefanik said in making the announcement a day before launching her campaign.

“Our campaign will unite Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to fire Kathy Hochul once and for all to save New York,” he promised in his statement and accompanying video.

Stefanik, a member of the House Republican leadership, claimed that “Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” repeating a phrase she has used for months.

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“People are looking for strong, level-headed leadership in New York City to contain this radical madness that we’ve seen Zohran Mamdani emerge as a tax-raising, defunding the police, anti-Semitic socialist,” Stefanik said in an interview on “The Story with Martha MacCallum” on Thursday. he said.

He reiterated in the campaign launch announcement that Hochul “kneeled” Mamdani.

Hochul has since taken to social media and interviews with CNN to attack Stefanik’s record of being a “Trump Republican.”

On Friday, Hochul posted: “While I fight like hell to lower costs for New York families, Elise Stefanik is ripping off New Yorkers and increasing costs to please Trump. Stefanik will always put Trump first and you last.”

In another post the same day, Hochul shared a clip from her CNN appearance on X.

“Elise Stefanik is more than just a Trump ally. 100% voted for her this year,” Hochul wrote. “She owns this shutdown. She owns the fact that 3 million New Yorkers are trying to figure out how to feed their families. This is Sellout Stefanik.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office for comment regarding Adelson’s vocal support for Stefanik.

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Stefanik, who once criticized Trump during his first presidential run, has since become one of his staunchest defenders in Congress.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.