A crowd of her longtime supporters celebrated her with applause and cheers at the West Side Ballroom. Signs in the crowd read “Women for Elise,” and “North Country for Elise.”

“I thought this was wonderful,” said Anne Marie Holzhauer, a long-time supporter of Stefanik. “It is great that she is moving on, but like everyone says, it is bittersweet.”

Holzhauer said she has been supporting Stefanik since her first campaign in 2014 and knows she will do well in her new position.

“Elise is a mover and doer,” she said.

Stefanik told the crowd she was truly overwhelmed by the unbelievable outpouring of love and support as we begin to close this truly incredible chapter and embark on a new one.

“And I look around this room and I see so many faces, amazing and dear friends, many of whom I’ve known for years and years, and it’s hard to believe that it was 10 years ago Upstate New York and the North Country voters and communities took a chance on a young, first-time, totally unknown candidate, when at the wise old age of 28, I announced that I was running for Congress,” she said.

For the past decade, Stefanik represented this district and served as the House Republican Conference Chair.

At the time of her first election, she was the youngest woman — 30-years-old — to ever be elected to Congress in United States.

She served as chair of New York and Women for Trump, as well as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Upon Senate confirmation, Stefanik will serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and will be the youngest in the history of the U.S. to serve in that position.

“Today, I’m here to thank you, the people, for giving me the true honor of a lifetime to serve as your voice in Congress,” she said.

“I’m humbled to have made history as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the time, to serve as the highest ranking woman in house elected leadership of either party, and the highest ranking New York Republican in Congress in over 100 years.”

Stefanik lives in Schuylerville with her husband Matt and their young son Sam.

The event in Plattsburgh was the second stop as part of her “NY Thank You Tour.” She also stopped in Saratoga Springs, and her final stop was in Ogdensburg.

“Today is kind of a bittersweet day. We’re all excited and proud that Elise has been selected by President Trump to be our next ambassador to the United Nations. But of course, that also means that we’re about to lose the most effective congressperson we have had in this district since the beginning,” Clinton County Legislature Chairman Mark Henry (R-Area 3, Chazy) said. “However, we’re not here to dwell on that part today. We’re here to give a huge thank you to Elise and for all she has done for us and indeed for this country.”

The event also included remarks of gratitude and respect by Ray Scollin, former Franklin County GOP Chair and Vice Chair of NY-GOP-North Country; Greg Campbell, former Clinton County Election Commissioner and County Legislator and wrapped up by Garry Douglas, North Country Chamber of Commerce President and CEO.

“Elise’s decade here was bringing a new generation of leadership, and she made a permanent and positive difference in our NY-21. I mean that with all sincerity, she’s made a permanent and positive difference in our North Country,” Scollin said.

“Elise, we will be sad to see you go, but we’re grateful you were ours.”

Campbell reflected on his earlier interactions with Stefanik and how he got to know her over time.

“At the time, she had somebody that was going to be a formidable opponent, an incumbent, but that didn’t stop her at all. and for those of us who have gotten to know her over the years, that’s the kind of person she is. She just looks at things that others would look at as maybe almost impossible, as a challenge, as a challenge for her to overcome,” he said.

To close out the remarks, Douglas provided a list of “thank yous,” for Stefanik including for friendship, dedication and support to the community.

“Thank you for your curiosity and interest from that very first meeting we had when we first met in my office early in 2014 underneath my moose,” Douglas said.

“Thank you Elise. Thank you for being a friend personally, to the chamber, to the business community, to the North Country. Onward and upward.”

Henry also took the time to reflect before handing the microphone over to Stefanik.

“Anyone who spent more than five minutes with Elise could tell a couple of things right away, she was smart, she was a hard worker, but most importantly, she cared deeply about our North Country families and communities and that she truly wanted to carry those issues that concerned us to the highest levels of government,” Henry said.

“And she did just that. Congresswoman and now United Nations Ambassador designee, Elise Stefanik, proved to be more than a dedicated representative to the people of New York-21, she is also a fighter, and she’s fearless.”

Stefanik’s address included her own list of gratitudes for the community, her supporters and for her team.

“The past 10 years have been an amazingly challenging experience with some great Upstate fun along the way,” she said.

The thing she will miss the most is the people.

“But there is no question to me that by far the greatest part of our district is the people, and I will miss you all so much. I have loved working for you, and I’ve always tried to work my very hardest to represent you,” she said.

“I will never forget the trust and love you placed in me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to serve and reminding me to always remember our Upstate values when I represent the United States of America on behalf of President Trump and the American people on the world stage.

“From the bottom of my heart. Thank you. God bless you. God bless Upstate and God bless the United States of America.”