Rep. Elise Stefanik, the new House Republican Conference chairwoman, told lawmakers in a statement Friday she’ll aim to unify the GOP in a bid to block “far-left” Democratic policies and said she will work with former President Donald Trump, who remains “an important voice,” in the Republican Party.
Stefanik was easily elected to the No. 3 leadership position following a last-minute challenge by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.
ELISE STEFANIK VOWS TO UNIFY TRUMP-CENTRIC HOUSE GOP
Stefanik issued a statement after the closed-door election, promising to move the party past divisions over the former president and to focus on defeating Democrats.
In a press conference following the vote, Stefanik told reporters her constituents voted for Trump by double digits, and he remains an important part of the party.
“I believe that voters determine the leader of the Republican Party, and President Trump is the leader that they look to,” Stefanik said. “I support President Trump. Voters support President Trump. He is an important voice in our Republican Party, and we look forward to working with him.”
Republicans on Wednesday voted to oust Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney over her public opposition to Trump. Lawmakers said Cheney was dividing the conference.
Stefanik continues to support Trump and his policies and has generally backed the notion that the 2020 election suffered irregularities that deserve more scrutiny.
But she did not mention Trump after emerging as the winner in the race for conference chairwoman.
“House Republicans are united in our focus to fight on behalf of the American people, to save our country from the radical socialist, Democratic agenda, and President Biden and Nancy Pelosi,” Stefanik said in a statement.
Roy’s defeat was expected after Stefanik earned the endorsements of top GOP leaders, Trump, and House Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan.
But lawmakers who backed Roy said they felt compelled to challenge Stefanik because her voting record is not sufficiently conservative. Stefanik has voted against some key conservative legislation, including the 2017 tax cuts. They also argued the election took place too quickly after Cheney’s removal.
But House Republicans say they are ready to move on.
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Roy told reporters he fully supports Stefanik and the effort to win back the House in 2022.
“I think Elise made her point very clear that she’s fully in support of the agenda,” Roy said after the vote. “We’re all united. This is not hard to highlight how the Democratic Party is literally destroying the livelihoods of the American people as we speak. Gas lines, joblessness, wide-open borders, endangering not just American citizens but immigrants. You know, we’ve got a lot of fodder to message on, and Elise will be we’ll be very good at doing that.”
