House Republicans approved Rep. Elise Stefanik to their No. 3 leadership position Friday — officially voting her into the post after Rep. Liz Cheney was forced out this week.
The 134-46 tally for Stefanik (R-NY) was nearly guaranteed before the vote took place, given that she went into the meeting with former President Donald Trump’s endorsement and without a serious challenger.
“Listen, the Republican Party is a big tent party and my district is the story of the growth of the Republican Party. My district voted for President Obama by double digits and voted for President Trump and myself by double digits — we have worked to grow the Republican Party,” she told reporters following her win.
“Nancy Pelosi has the slimmest majority in a generation. We are going on offense and are going to win back the majority in 2022. This is about being unified, I’m a proud conservative Republican, and I will fight for the Republican conference.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) launched an eleventh hour bid on Thursday, but failed to gain enough traction to pose a serious threat to Stefanik’s odds. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) expressed interest in the role, but was discouraged by McCarthy to pursue a bid, multiple sources told The Post. House Republican Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.) was also floated for the position, but ultimately opted against entering the race.
The New York Republican — who previously chaired the moderate Tuesday Group and saw a rise in prominence as one of Trump’s top defenders during the first impeachment proceedings — locked down key endorsements early, with Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) voicing their support for her candidacy.
Stefanik was nominated for the position by Rep. John Katko (R-NY). Roy, meanwhile, was nominated by House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ken Buck (R-Utah).
The 36-year-old lawmaker began to whip votes in the days ahead of the ouster of Cheney (R-Wyo.), securing support from the majority of the conference before any competitors hopped into the race.
While she received prominent endorsements, a sizable number of conservatives expressed concerns about the New York Republican’s voting record — which was more moderate than Cheney’s — arguing it could hinder her ability to speak for the conference.
This prompted Roy — who secured endorsements from a number of conservative advocacy groups, including Club for Growth — to get into the race.
In the days leading up to the vote, Stefanik met with members of the House Freedom Caucus and Republican Study Committee in an attempt to lock down votes and ease concerns.
Both she and Roy laid out their cases as to why they believed they were best qualified for the job during a candidate forum on Thursday evening.
A number of GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) — raised concerns during Friday’s meeting over the process leadership took in replacing Cheney, arguing that the vote was scheduled too quickly, not allowing for enough time for other candidates to emerge.
Trump — who took aim at Roy for getting into the race, signalling he would support a primary against the Texas Republican — congratulated Stefanik on her win shortly after the vote was called.
“Congratulations to Elise Stefanik for her Big and Overwhelming victory! The House GOP is united and the Make America Great Again movement is Strong!” he said in a statement.
Cheney — the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney — was removed Wednesday morning from her leadership position for her focus on criticizing Trump.
Her ouster by members of her own conference is an extremely rare move, one which highlights the 45th president’s influence in the Republican Party.
Cheney survived an attempt to oust her from leadership in February over her vote to impeach the just-departed president.
Her standing with GOP colleagues weakened in the months that followed, though, as members grew frustrated with her continued comments regarding the former president and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Her split with McCarthy on the scope of a 9/11-style commission on the riot, as well as her revealing exclusively to The Post that she was mulling a 2024 White House bid, also drew the ire of her colleagues.
Asked by reporters for reaction in the immediate aftermath of her removal, Cheney said she believed what had happened was “an indication of where the Republican Party is, and I think that the party is in a place that we’ve got to bring it back from.”
“The nation needs a strong Republican Party. The nation needs a party that is based upon fundamental principles of conservatism, and I am committed and dedicated to ensuring that that’s how this party goes forward, and I plan to lead the fight to do that,” she continued.
“I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”
