Elise Stefanik, the New York Congresswoman who went from a moderate at the start of her career to a full MAGA backer, has been mentioned as a possible veep if Trump is the Republican nominee.
If Donald Trump is again the Republican presidential nominee, he’s going to need a running mate, and it’s a fair bet that it’s not going to be Mike Pence.
Potential Female Running Mates
It remains early, of course, but several names have emerged as possible Trump picks, including several women. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is said to covet the vice presidential slot, and the same has been said about former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Nikki Haley is running for president, but there has been much speculation that, should she and Trump not feud too bitterly while in the same primary, Haley could emerge as a VP pick.
An Axios report in March listed four women who Trump might consider as VP: Lake, Haley, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Another name that has been floated is Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the current chair of the House Republican Conference, who took that position after former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) was removed for insufficient loyalty to Trump.
“Stefanik is also frequently mentioned as a likely contender, but has taken what allies describe as a more subtle approach. She endorsed Trump before he even announced he was running, and has become one of his chief defenders on the Hill,” that AP story said. “During CPAC, Stefanik used her speech to call for Trump’s reelection and introduced him at a private event organized by his super PAC. Trump, in turn, praised her as a ‘rocket ship.’”
She was asked about it in that AP story.
Stefanik Starts to Stand Out
“We have a lot of work to do over the next two years and I am gonna work no matter what to make sure that we have a Republican president, House and Senate in 2024,” Stefanik told the AP. “So that’s what I focused on, and it’s a big job.”
Stefanik was considered a moderate early in her career, but has been more associated with Trump loyalism in recent years. But while she doesn’t have quite a reputation as a bomb thrower in the tradition of Greene or Lake, Stefanik has made news for comments of late.
In a Fox News appearance this week, Stefanik blamed “far-left policies” for crime in New York. This was part of a special field hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week, called the “Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan” hearing.
“New York is being targeted because you have radical left-wing Democrats who have put failed bail reform in place,” Stefanik said, per the New York Post. “That includes [Gov.] Kathy Hochul, that includes legislators in Albany, that includes defund-the-police Democrats in New York City, as well as radical, far-left district attorneys like Alvin Bragg.”
Also this spring, Stefanik announced the launch of a “battleground fund” to help other Republican candidates in her home state of New York.
“The fight to save our country and our state will not be easy but I have never been more determined to work my hardest to save our country,” Stefanik said, per the Post.
“I am grateful for the hundreds of thousands of grassroots donors in upstate New York and across the country.”
Stefanik had announced last week that she is herself running for re-election in 2024, but vice presidential candidates in the past, including Lloyd Bentsen, Joe Lieberman, and Paul Ryan, have simultaneously run for re-election for their Congressional seats.
It’s not clear if one particular New York Republican, the ever-embattled Congressman George Santos, will be getting any of that campaign money, following his announcement earlier this week that he’s seeking a second term. But since Santos appears to lack much support from institutional Republicans, and is facing numerous investigations of his elaborate web of lies, there’s a good chance the answer is no.
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Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
