NY-21 Special Election: Rep. Elise Stefanik To Vacate Seat and Trigger Election

By Matt Serrano Last updated Feb 20, 2025

New York’s 21st Congressional District, Elise Stefanik’s district since 2015, will soon be vacated and change hands PHOTO CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Although Elise Stefanik won the race for the 21st congressional district last November there is now a special election being held to fill the seat. This comes after Stefanik was nominated as the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

The date for the special election has not been set because Stefanik has yet to be confirmed as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. According to NBC News several Republicans have blamed the delay on the slim majority that the Republican party holds in the House. Since confirming, Stefanik would temporarily leave her seat empty, and the Republican majority in the House would go down to two.

Governor Kathy Hochul can’t call a special election to fill the empty seat until Stefanik is officially sworn in as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Once this happens, Hochul has 10 days to set the date of the special election. New York House Democrats brought a bill to the table that would allow Hochul to delay the special election, which would help even the vote in the U.S. House of Representatives until the seat is filled. However, Hochul shut down the bill before it gained traction.

En route to her most recent victory in the 21st congressional district Stefanik garnered 62 percent of the vote over Paula Collin’s 38 percent. This in addition to past republican victories in the 21st district have made it a solid red district. The district was last held by Democrat Bill Owens in 2015.

Currently, there are four republican contenders for the 21st congressional seat once Stefanik is nominated. First is the current state Senator of the 45th district, Daniel Stec, one of the contenders as his district lies within the 21st congressional district. Second is Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, who is popular among upstate Republicans despite having multiple sexual assault allegations.

The other two Republicans vying for their party nomination are State Assemblymen Chris Tague and Robert Smullen. Tague is from the 102nd Assembly District and is a former dairy farmer. Smullen represents the 118th Assembly District and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is in his third term as an assemblyman.

For the Democratic nomination Assemblyman Billy Jones of the 115th district was the favorite for the nomination but has declined the position. In a statement issued by Jones, he explained that his decision was due to numerous issues at the state level. There is now no clear group of frontrunners for the Democratic nomination, although there are about 10 people vying for the position.

In the coming weeks, Stefanik should be officially nominated, and the Republican and Democratic parties will have to select a candidate to run in the special election.