Several House Republicans have already begun competing for GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) leadership post when she steps down from her seat next year to accept an ambassadorship in the Trump administration.
At least three GOP lawmakers have begun fielding calls to their colleagues to gauge support for the party’s No. 4 position in the House, including Reps. Lisa McClain (R-MI), Kat Cammack (R-FL), and House GOP Vice Chairman Blake Moore (R-UT), several sources familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Lawmakers began launching their bids Monday, the last day for lawmakers to announce their intent to run. Votes will take place later this week.
Cammack was among the first to announce her bid, urging her colleagues in a Monday statement to “deliver results now more than ever.”
“We need to be one team, one mission,” Cammack said. “I’m all in to be our next House Conference Chair and I look forward to executing on the America First agenda we have been sent to Washington for.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), considered to be one of the top contenders, is not pursuing the position and will instead endorse Cammack, a source familiar told the Washington Examiner. Donalds’s endorsement is a boost to Cammack’s bid as she looks to lock down support.
McClain also made her candidacy official on Monday, pointing to her two years as the conference secretary under Stefanik as key experience for a potential opportunity in the No. 4 position.
“From my humble beginnings working on a horse farm to building a company with billions of assets under management, our modern Republican Party needs someone who has lived the American dream and can effectively communicate President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda with the American people,” McClain said in a statement. “It’s been an honor to serve our Conference as Secretary for the past two years alongside Chairwoman Stefanik. Elise has done a tremendous job during her tenure, and I fully intend to build upon the successes she has brought to our Conference as we work with President Trump to Make America Great Again.”
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) was initially considered a top contender for the position, but the Iowa Republican took herself out of the running Monday morning.
“I’m humbled that my colleagues would consider me for this important post but I am not running for a leadership position,” Hinson said in a statement. “My focus is on serving Iowa’s Second Congressional District and working to ensure we carry out President Trump’s agenda.”
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) was also considered a top name for the position, but she removed herself from consideration on Monday.
“While I’m humbled to have my name mentioned, I am not running for Republican Conference Chair to replace Elise,” Bice said in a statement. “There is much to do in my committees during the next Congress and I look forward to bringing results back to my district.”
The scramble to replace Stefanik comes after President-elect Donald Trump revealed late Sunday night that he nominated the New York Republican as his ambassador to the United Nations.
“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump said in a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner. “Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.”
Stefanik has long been rumored to be in the running for a position in Trump’s administration if he won the 2024 election.
Stefanik assumed the fourth-highest ranking position in May 2021, quickly establishing herself as a staunch ally of Trump. That loyalty put Stefanik on his initial short list for vice presidential contenders and in consideration for a position in his second administration.
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House Republicans will meet Wednesday to elect, or reelect, rather, their slate of top GOP leaders in the lower chamber. Lawmakers have a short window to submit their names for consideration before the conference holds a candidate forum Wednesday morning.
The election will then be open throughout the day. It’s not clear when the results will be announced.
