Congressional candidate Steve Wells has received the endorsement of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-21, Schuylerville, in his run for office in the state’s 22nd District.

Stefanik, the House Republican Conference Chair, announced her support for Wells on Thursday ahead of the Aug. 23 primary.

“I am proud to support my good friend Steve Wells,” Stefanik said. “Steve Wells is a prosecutor. He understands how important it is to support our law enforcement, and to have safe and secure communities. Steve Wells is an entrepreneur. He’s created 1,500 jobs right here in Central New York. And we need people who have that experience running small businesses, creating jobs locally – rather than more bureaucrats in D.C.”

“Steve Wells is a conservative Republican and an America First Leader,” Stefanik said, adding, “Steve understands the issues facing Central New York families, and I know that he’s going to be an incredible member of Congress for the region.”

“I am honored to have earned the support of House Republican Conference Chair and Upstate New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik,” Wells said. “Elise is a proven fighter for conservative values in Congress. Like Elise, I know we need to do more to secure our borders, address skyrocketing inflation, and support our law enforcement. I am grateful for Congresswoman Stefanik’s support and look forward to working together to put an end to Biden’s far-left agenda.”

Fellow Republican, Brandon Williams, who is challenging Wells in the upcoming primary, issued a statement on Thursday, calling on Wells “to clarify his stance on the second amendment and abortion.”

“After the historic decisions from the Supreme Court this past week, Steve Wells has been completely silent on these important issues,” said Williams. “It is important for the voters of NY22 to know where their next congressman stands. I am pro-life by faith. I believe abortion eliminates all future possibilities of the life that it takes. I support the Constitution and the Second Amendment. I believe there are solutions out there to solve gun violence without restricting or endangering anyone’s rights.”

“Steve Wells has, directly and indirectly, bankrolled the campaigns of anti-gun and pro-abortion liberals like Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” Williams statement added. “The people of Central New York’s 22nd Congressional District deserve common-sense conservative leadership and not liberal champions of downstate values. As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, I fought to protect our constitutional rights and will never stop defending them in Congress. We need a political outsider to clean up Washington D.C. and send liberal Republicans packing.”