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It was the Kiss Cam seen around the internet, and now one House Republican is using it as a political cudgel.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., used the viral moment caught during a Coldplay concert that sparked allegations that Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his head of human resources, Kristin Cabot, were having an affair, to bash New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin wonders if a couple is having an affair as he caught them on the Kiss Cam. The two are rumored to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byrona and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot. (@calebu2/TMX)
“Commie Mamdani holding [Gov. Kathy Hochul] headed for re-election in 2026,” Stefanik said on X.
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul and Mamdani’s offices for comment.
Stefanik has so far flirted with a bid for the New York governor’s mansion, but has yet to throw her name into the race.
She was previously the number three Republican in House GOP leadership until she was tapped to be President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. However, Trump pulled his nomination and Stefanik returned to the House, where she again earned a spot in leadership.
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House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., used a viral video to jab New York City Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
However, Stefanik is not the only House Republican eying a challenge against Hochul, who first took office in 2021 after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is now battling Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral contest, resigned. She won her first full term in 2022.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is also mulling a bid against Hochul, and like Stefanik, has yet to announce his intentions. Lawler has twice won in typically Democratic districts, while Stefanik has held her seat in a deep red portion of upstate New York.
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani campaigns in New York City on April 16, 2025. Voters will head to the polls on June 24, 2025, to vote in the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral election. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
But a recent poll found that if either entered the race, along with a potential third in Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, they would have an uphill climb against Hochul.
A recent poll from Sienna College found that Hochul leads each potential gubernatorial candidate by at least 20 points each.
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Meanwhile, Mamdani is fresh from Washington D.C., where he met with the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
He’s now back in New York to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a bid to secure their endorsements in his quest to beat New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
