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

EXCLUSIVE – Although she didn’t get a formal endorsement, billionaire philanthropist Miriam Adelson expressed support for Rep. Elise Stefanik’s candidacy for governor of New York at the Zionist Organization of America’s Louis D. Brandeis Award dinner Sunday night, praising her for confronting anti-Semitism in government and higher education.

Stefanik, the House Republican Leadership Chair, received the Mortimer Zuckerman Maccabee Warrior Award from the American Zionist Organization for her efforts in combating anti-Semitism.

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

“When I heard you speak to the university leaders, I said to myself, ‘She has the courage to tell the truth,’” Adelson said. “Sheldon used to say, ‘Stand up for what you believe in, even if you do it alone,’ and you showed us and the world some courage.”

STEFANIK DESCRIBES HOCHUL AS ‘THE WORST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA’ DURING rousing 2026 CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., listens as President Donald Trump speaks during the House Republican Conference meeting. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Adelson went on to describe Stefanik as “a great leader,” crediting her with standing up for “the Jewish people, Israel and the free world.”

“Thank you for continuing to be what you are: a courageous woman,” Adelson said. “I hug you from here on all your accomplishments, and I hope to visit you in the New York governor’s office next year after the election.”

Adelson, a majority owner of Las Vegas Sands and a philanthropist and physician whose net worth is estimated at more than $30 billion, has been a prominent Republican mega-donor and supported the pro-Trump super PAC Preserve America during several election cycles.

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Miriam Adelson arrives before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, January 20, 2025. (Photo by Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

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

“I am honored to receive so much praise and support from my friend Dr. Adelson, who has served as a pillar of Jewish advocacy and a force in its fight to ensure that the light of freedom, faith and truth never goes out,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital. “I thank her for her warm 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 as she challenges Democratic Gov. Hochul.

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

REPRESENTATIVE. ELISE STEFANIK calls NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI A “JIHADIST”

The shared image shows Rep. Elise Stefanik, left, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, right. Stefanik officially launched his 2026 campaign for governor, setting up a high-profile race that could reshape politics in one of America’s most hopeful 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 run by Democrats. And Kathy Hochul is the worst governor in America,” Stefanik said Friday morning on “Fox & Friends.”

“New York is the most unaffordable 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 Democrats’ defunding of the police,” Stefanik continued.

“And after this week… when we saw a rabid anti-Semitic pro-Hamas communist who wants to raise taxes. And frankly, he barely won a majority of New York City voters, Kathy Hochul supported him and bent the knee,” Stefanik added, referring to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist.

STEFANIK booed off stage as protesters chant “traitor” at a memorial event in upstate New York.

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

In announcing his campaign the day before it launched, Stefanik said, “I’m running for governor to bring a new generation of leaders to Albany to make New York affordable and safe for families across our great state.”

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

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

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“People are looking for strong, common-sense leadership to curb this radical madness that we see going on in New York with Zohran Mamdani like higher taxes, defunding the police, an anti-Semitic socialist,” Stefanik said in an interview Thursday on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”

And in her campaign launch announcement, she reiterated that Hochul “knelt” to Mamdani.

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

On Friday, Hochul posted, “While I fight like hell to lower costs for New York families, Elise Stefanik doesn’t care about New Yorkers and raises costs to please Trump. Stefanik will always put Trump first and you last.”

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

“Elise Stefanik is more than just a Trump ally. She voted with him 100% of the time this year,” Hochul wrote. “She is responsible for this shutdown. She owns the fact that 3 million New Yorkers are trying to find a way to feed their families. She is Sellout Stefanik.”

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

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

Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.