A look inside a North Country primary feud

DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 43 PRIMARY COLORS: Republican Assemblymember Robert Smullen sat down with Rep. Elise Stefanik five years ago to talk about a rural development bill, but instead he made a bold claim: He intended to challenge her in a GOP primary. The previously unreported meeting, according to two people with direct knowledge of the private conversation who were granted anonymity to discuss it, occurred in July 2021. Smullen never followed through with a Stefanik primary challenge. And in a statement, he denied ever planning to challenge her for the nomination. “I’ve never planned to primary Elise Stefanik,” he said in a statement. “I have too much respect for her, her leadership, and the job she has done fighting for NY-21 and Upstate New York.” According to the people, the sitdown occurred as Republican House members in deep blue New York were bracing for what was expected to be a challenging round of redistricting. Smullen’s primary threat against Stefanik was based, in part, on the potential of her home being drawn out of the sprawling North Country seat she’s represented since 2015. “To have the audacity to do that — to not read the room, but also not read the polling,” one of the people said. “By the end of the meeting he was set straight.” It also came months after Stefanik replaced then-Rep. Liz Cheney as the Republican House conference chair following the Wyoming Republican’s emergence as an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump. Stefanik had previously emerged as a prominent Trump ally in Congress. Yet Smullen over the years has donated frequently to Stefanik’s campaigns — including thousands of dollars between 2020 and 2024. She also frequently appeared alongside Smullen at events, like at an October 2022 fundraiser for his Assembly reelection campaign as well as a rally a month later. “I have known Elise personally for years, supported and donated to her campaigns, and appreciated her support for me during my own races,” Smullen said. “Like