Trump defender Stefanik rises to House GOP No. 3 post

WASHINGTON – Republicans vaulted Rep. Elise Stefanik into the ranks of House leadership Friday, electing an ardent Donald Trump defender in hopes of calming their searing civil war over the deposed Rep. Liz Cheney’s unremitting combat with the former president.

Stefanik, R-N.Y., a moderate-turnedTrump loyalist who’s given voice to many of his claims about election fraud, was elected to the No. 3 post Cheney, RWyo., held for over two years.

Backed by Trump and the House’s top two Republicans, Stefanik defeated challenger Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, by 134-46 in a secret ballot vote. Roy, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was a long shot whose candidacy seemed a signal to GOP leaders that hard-right Republicans expect a robust voice moving forward.

Stefanik, 36, gives Republicans a chance to try changing the subject from the fight over Cheney by installing a Trump loyalist in a visible role.

But many conservatives have misgivings about Stefanik’s voting record, tensions remain raw over Trump’s taut hold on the party and Cheney’s rancorous ouster, and Cheney has said she will remain a vocal foe of Trump.

At a time when Cheney and other anti-Trump Republicans are trying to pull the party away from him, Stefanik reaffirmed her view of his importance.

“Voters determine the leader of the Republican Party, and President Trump is the leader that they look to,” Stefanik said.

Stefanik thanked her colleagues after her election, citing the Revolutionary War battlefield at Saratoga, New York, near her home. Describing themes similar to those Republicans often emphasize, Stefanik said Americans there fought for “liberty, freedom and a limited government,” according to a person who provided the comments on condition of anonymity.