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Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.), who is being endorsed by Republican leaders to replace Rep. Liz Cheney, speaks during a candidate forum at the Capitol on Thursday, May 13, 2021, in Washington. arrive at. She is the new chair of the House Republican Conference. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
House Republicans promoted Rep. Elise Stefanik to a leadership post on Friday, saying the party, which has long been a poster child for conservative policies, views loyalty to former President Donald Trump as a key to its electoral success. This highlighted a growing trend.
Stefanik, a Trump supporter from upstate New York, was elected to the No. 3 leadership post, which until this week was held by Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Republicans continue to criticize Trump for helping to incite Cheney’s violent Capitol riot on January 6 and persistently pushing false claims that voter fraud caused his reelection loss in November. Mr. Cheney was removed from his post.
Local officials across the country and judges from both parties have declared there is no evidence that Mr. Trump was fraudulently defrauded of his victory.
Stefanik easily defeated Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, 134-46, in a secret ballot that gave Republicans a clear choice about steering their party. Stefanik has a moderate voting record but strong support from Trump and other party leaders, including some conservatives, while Roy is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. and was actively opposed by the former president.
In remarks to reporters after his victory, Stefanik emphasized that twice-impeached Trump remains powerful within the Republican Party, which is unusual for a defeated former president. Polls show strong loyalty to Trump among Republican voters, and there is little incentive for party leaders to remove him.
“Voters decide the leader of the Republican Party, and President Trump is the leader they’re looking to,” said Stefanik, 36. “He’s an important voice in the Republican Party, and we want to work with him. I’m looking forward to it,” he added.
Although the Republican Party defines itself as conservative, Stefanik’s victory was a measure of the diminished role of ideology in the party right now.
Her lifetime voting score on the conservative Legacy Action for America poll is 48, one of the most moderate scores of all House Republicans. By comparison, Mr. Cheney has 80 and Mr. Roy 96 times.
The conservative Growth Club, which supported Roy, gives Stefanik a lifetime score of 35. That’s well below Ms. Cheney’s 65 points and Ms. Roy’s 100 points, and even lower than that of Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a member of the House Democratic Party’s “Team” of Young Progressives. , scored 38 points.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who nominated Roy, said Friday: “I support Stefanik as the most likely Republican to join the team, but he is not the Republican Conference Chairman.” he tweeted.
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