59 Facts About Elise Stefanik

Elise Marie Stefanik is an American politician serving as the US representative for since 2015.

Elise Stefanik was 30 when first elected in the 2014 US House of Representatives elections in New York, the youngest woman elected to Congress at the time.

Elise Stefanik was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in May 2021 after incumbent Liz Cheney was removed due to her opposition to Trump.

Elise Stefanik has come under heavy criticism for her strong support of controversial Representative George Santos.

Elise Marie Stefanik was born in Albany, New York, on July 2,1984, to Melanie and Ken Stefanik.

In October 1998, when she was 14, Elise Stefanik was featured in a Times Union profile about US Senator Al D'Amato.

Elise Stefanik worked in Washington for six years before entering politics.

Elise Stefanik graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls and enrolled at Harvard College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 2006.

Elise Stefanik was elected vice president of the Harvard Institute of Politics in 2004.

Elise Stefanik later worked in the office of Joshua Bolten, the White House Chief of Staff.

Elise Stefanik helped prepare the Republican platform in 2012, served as director of new media for Tim Pawlenty's presidential exploratory committee and worked at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Foreign Policy Initiative.

Elise Stefanik managed Representative Paul Ryan's debate preparation for the 2012 presidential debates.

Elise Stefanik's parents had owned a vacation home in Willsboro for many years.

Elise Stefanik became increasingly supportive of Donald Trump's candidacy for president after he won the 2016 Republican Party presidential primary.

Elise Stefanik said that Trump's crude remarks in the Access Hollywood tape were "wrong" but continued to endorse him.

Elise Stefanik faced Democratic nominee Mike Derrick and Green Party nominee Matt Funiciello in the general election.

In January 2015, Elise Stefanik was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee.

Elise Stefanik was invited to join the Senior Advisory Committee at the Harvard Institute of Politics shortly after her election.

Elise Stefanik was removed from the committee in 2021 following her objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes after the storming of the US Capitol.

Elise Stefanik led recruitment for the National Republican Congressional Committee in the 2018 House elections; among 13 Republican women elected to the House, only one was newly elected.

In December 2018, Elise Stefanik announced she would leave the NRCC to create a "leadership PAC" dedicated to recruiting Republican women to run for office.

Elise Stefanik was seen as a potential replacement for Cheney if the Republican conference decided to oust Cheney from her position, despite Cheney's more conservative credentials and greater voting record in support of Trump's policies.

On May 28,2022, Politico reported that Elise Stefanik had been responsible for planting negative stories about Jim Banks, a potential competitor for Elise Stefanik and his aide Buckley Carlson, Tucker Carlson's son.

Elise Stefanik was ranked the 19th-most bipartisan House member during the first session of the 115th United States Congress by the Bipartisan Index.

Elise Stefanik opposes abortion, but says the Republican Party should be more understanding of other positions on the issue.

Elise Stefanik opposes taxpayer funding for abortion, and supports requiring that health insurance plans disclose whether they cover it.

Elise Stefanik opposed the 2013 sequestration cuts to the federal US military budget, citing its effect on Fort Drum just north of Watertown, New York, part of her district.

Elise Stefanik voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, joining five other New York Republican representatives.

Elise Stefanik criticized "Albany's failed leadership and inability to rein in spending".

In March 2021, all House Republicans, including Elise Stefanik, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.

On September 25,2019, Elise Stefanik announced that she did not support the impeachment of President Trump.

Elise Stefanik accused Schiff of "making up the rules as he goes" and of preventing Republican committee members from controlling their time to question witnesses.

Elise Stefanik made false claims of fraud, saying among other things that "more than 140,000 votes came from underage, deceased, and otherwise unauthorized voters" in Fulton County, Georgia.

Elise Stefanik expressed "concerns" about Dominion Voting Systems, the subject of numerous false right-wing conspiracy theories.

In December 2020, Stefanik supported the lawsuit Texas v Pennsylvania, an attempt to reverse Trump's loss by petitioning the US Supreme Court to reject certified results in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia.

Elise Stefanik has promoted conspiracy theories about a "stolen election", and just hours after the invasion of the Capitol, she voted against accepting Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 election.

Elise Stefanik criticized Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, saying it was "misguided" and "harms the ongoing effort to fight climate change, while isolating us from our allies".

In January 2017, Elise Stefanik joined the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, an apparent indication of "a moderate stance on climate change issues".

On May 4,2017, Elise Stefanik voted on party lines in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and passing the House Republican-sponsored American Health Care Act.

Elise Stefanik defended her vote in a post on Medium, "Setting the Record Straight on the American Health Care Act".

In November 2017, Elise Stefanik voted for the Championing Healthy Kids Act, which would provide a five-year extension to the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Elise Stefanik opposed Trump's 2017 executive order imposing a temporary ban on travel and immigration to the United States by nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries.

Elise Stefanik declined to condemn the Trump administration family separation policy, instead publishing a press release congratulating Trump after he signed an Executive Order to suspend new separations and detain families.

On March 26,2019, Elise Stefanik was one of 14 Republicans to vote with all House Democrats to override Trump's veto of a measure unwinding the latter's declaration of a national emergency at the southern border.

Elise Stefanik voted to release the Nunes memo written by staff members of Representative Devin Nunes.

Elise Stefanik supported the ending of the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections over the objections of Committee Democrats.

Elise Stefanik was one of 26 Republicans to vote with the entire Democratic caucus in favor of a $25 billion relief bill for the US postal service at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On December 19,2017, Elise Stefanik voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

In 2021, Elise Stefanik co-sponsored the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act.

On July 19,2022, Elise Stefanik was one of the 47 Republican representatives who voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.

Elise Stefanik has long advocated for empowering women in the Republican Party and has influenced the party's culture to prioritize electing more women.

Elise Stefanik continued to make unsubstantiated claims about election fraud in public statements.

Elise Stefanik joined over 100 GOP House members in an amicus brief asking the US Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election.

Elise Stefanik backed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, objecting to Pennsylvania's electoral votes after Trump supporters were involved in the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Elise Stefanik claimed without evidence that Pelosi was "aware of potential security threats to the Capitol and she failed to act".

Elise Stefanik endorsed him in August 2021, lent him a staffer who played a major role in his campaign, and held a fundraiser for him in May 2022 that raised over $100,000.

In 2022, Elise Stefanik endorsed Carl Paladino in the election to succeed retiring US representative Chris Jacobs in New York's 23rd congressional district.

Elise Stefanik reportedly had a history of disputes with Paladino's rival in the Republican primary, then-New York State Republican Committee chair Nick Langworthy.

Elise Stefanik actively campaigned for Paladino, hosting a tele-rally for him the night before the primary.