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HOUSE GOP ADDS MODERATE TO LEADERSHIP. For many years, the American Conservative Union — the group that puts together the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC — has issued ratings of members of Congress. They select key votes, compile how each member voted and publish the percentage of times the member aligned with conservative positions as defined by ACU.
In 2020, 48 conservative Republicans had ratings between 90% and 100%. Fifty-three had ratings between 80% and 89%. Smaller numbers were at 79% and lower — see the chart below from ACU:
byronyork_acu_chartIn 2020, New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik had a 57% rating, putting her in a small group of GOP lawmakers below 60%. (She was by no means the lowest-rated Republican in 2020; that was Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania with 22%.) Still, Stefanik, who had a 59% rating in 2019, was clearly on the moderate, or centrist, or, if you’re a very conservative Republican, the lefty side of the House GOP. (Her lifetime rating, an average of the six years she has served in the House, is even lower — 44%.)
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Now, House Republicans have elected Stefanik to the third-highest position in their leadership, Republican Conference Chair. She famously replaces Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, who had a 2020 rating of 74%, a 2019 rating of 79%, and a lifetime rating of 78%.
Stefanik also beat back a late challenge from Texas Representative Chip Roy, who had a 2020 rating of 89% and a 2019 rating of 100%. Having served just two years in the House, his lifetime rating is an average of those two — 95%.
Media coverage of the House GOP moves has focused on Stefanik’s support of former President Donald Trump. But imagine an alternate universe in which reporters and commentators were not obsessed with Trump. In that alternate universe, the headline of the Stefanik election might be the headline above: HOUSE GOP ADDS MODERATE TO LEADERSHIP.
In her acceptance speech Friday morning, Stefanik emphasized opposition to President Biden — to the “destructive, radical, far-left socialist agenda of President Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi that is destroying America.” She slammed Biden’s proposed trillions of dollars in spending, his handling of the crisis that his own policies created on the U.S.-Mexico border, and his handling of the growing violence in the Middle East. Stefanik thanked her House Republican colleagues for voting for her, and then the Republican leadership team, and then, finally, Trump — “He is a critical part of our Republican team,” Stefanik said.
That was Stefanik’s only mention of Trump — who endorsed Stefanik for the job — in her prepared remarks. But when she took questions, of course the press asked about Trump. One reporter asked, “Is President Trump the leader of the Republican Party?” Stefanik answered: “I believe the voters determine the leader of the Republican Party, and President Trump is the leader that they look to. 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.”
Stefanik may be overstating Trump’s hold on the party — he is, after all, an ex-president, and a significant number of Republicans, while appreciating his accomplishments and wanting to incorporate them into the party’s platform, nevertheless are open to new presidential candidates in 2024. That feeling is likely to grow as time passes. But the larger story may be that House Republicans have added a centrist voice to their leadership. Maybe that’s good, and maybe that’s bad, depending on one’s perspective. But Elise Stefanik represents a change in the House GOP, and it’s not just about Trump.
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