City & State: GrayHouse Poll Featured

Published in City & State New York

By Austin C. Jefferson

Read the full article here.

GrayHouse, the polling and data analytics firm founded by Landon Wall, was featured this week in City & State New York for new polling that shows Representative Elise Stefanik in a commanding lead for the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary.

The GrayHouse survey of 826 voters found:

• 44% of Republican primary voters support Elise Stefanik, compared to 7% for Rep. Mike Lawler and 5% for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.• In a general election matchup, Stefanik trails Governor Kathy Hochul by just six points — a competitive margin for a Republican in deep-blue New York.• 61% of voters statewide — including 34% of Democrats and 75% of Independents — say it is "time for someone new" instead of re-electing Hochul.

Stefanik’s favorability among Republican voters is among the strongest in the state, positioning her as the clear early front-runner if she decides to enter the race.

As City & State reports:

"Though Stefanik has not announced a run for governor, the poll suggests that she — rather than Rep. Mike Lawler or Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — could be Republicans’ best chance to reclaim the statehouse."

Alex DeGrasse, an advisor to Stefanik, added:

"This independent poll shows what everyone knows: there is no question that the single most popular Republican in NY after President Trump is Elise Stefanik. If she decides to run, it’s lights out in the primary and very competitive in the general election."

While other Republicans like Lawler and Blakeman have expressed interest, GrayHouse’s data suggests Stefanik holds overwhelming advantages in name recognition, favorability, and early support.

The poll was independently commissioned by GrayHouse and carries a ±4% margin of error for general election questions and a ±5% margin of error for Republican primary questions.

You can read the full City & State New York article here.