Elise Stefanik

Elise Marie Stefanik (/stəˈfɑːnɪk/ stə-FAH-nik; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 21st congressional district since 2015. From 2021 to 2025, she served as chair of the House Republican Conference.

Stefanik was elected as a moderate Republican but moved towards the right after aligning herself with Donald Trump during his first term as president. Stefanik strongly opposed the first impeachment of Trump in 2019, which was based on the Trump–Ukraine scandal. She backed his attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, objecting to Pennsylvania's electoral votes. Stefanik was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in May 2021 after incumbent Liz Cheney was removed for opposition to then-former president Trump.

Known for her pro-Israel beliefs, Stefanik gained national attention in December 2023 for her aggressive questioning of university presidents during a widely televised U.S. congressional hearing on antisemitism, which contributed to the resignation of Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania. Stefanik was awarded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award by the Zionist Organization of America. She has supported the view that Israel has a "biblical right" to the occupied West Bank.

In January 2025, President Trump nominated Stefanik to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. Trump withdrew the nomination in March over concerns that her departure from the House would affect the thin House Republican majority. In November 2025, Stefanik announced her candidacy in the 2026 New York gubernatorial election. She ended her campaign the following month and announced she would not run for re-election to Congress.