US Representative Elise Stefanic (New York RN) (3rd place). Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images / AFP (Alex Wong / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFP)
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On Friday, US Republicans elected Congresswoman Elise Stefanic, an outspoken advocate for Donald Trump, as the new speaker of their congress in the House of Representatives, as the party seeks unification amid a heated debate over her leadership.
Stephanic, a 36-year-old former moderate representing upstate New York, easily beat a late contestant and garnered strong Republican support in a close vote of 134-46.
“My focus is on unity, because this is what the American people deserve and this is what our voters deserve,” she told reporters after coming to third place among Republicans in the House: becoming the woman. most powerful member of Congress.
“We are being insulted and will regain the majority in 2022” in the House of Representatives, said Stephanik, the new party’s chief envoy.
The vote came two days after the conference, which ousted Liz Cheney, the conservative conservative and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, from office for her repeated criticism of Trump and her refusal to embrace his false accusations that Democrats stole the elections. 2020..
With Trump retaining enormous influence, Republicans have been desperate to quell the growing gap within the party’s ranks over its future.
Conservatives aim to create a coherent message heading into next year’s midterm elections, but some Republicans fear that failure to reject Trump’s speech on voter fraud could hurt the party at the polls.
But Stephanic made clear that Trump and Trump would remain vital in efforts to reverse the “far-left socialist agenda” of President Joe Biden and his Democrats.
Trump ‘an important voice’
“I support President Trump, the voters support President Trump,” Stephanic said. “He is an important voice in our Republican Party and we look forward to working with him.”
Trump, who has tightened his grip on the party with the rise of Stephanik, congratulated her on her “landslide” victory.
“The Republican Party at home is united and the Make America Great Again, Strong Movement!” Said the former president.
Stefanic’s rise was a unique bright spot for Republicans in an otherwise difficult week.
On Thursday, after a meeting with Biden and top Democrats in Congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy made a dubious claim that “I don’t think anyone is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.” .
The day before, during a controversial hearing in the House of Representatives, Republicans downplayed the seriousness of the deadly January 6 attack on the United States Capitol by Trump supporters, and Congressman Andrew Clyde said the footage of the day of the uprising they showed a “normal tourist visit”. “to the building..
In a sign of the tensions that still haunt Congress months later, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who has championed wild conspiracy theories, took on Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, raising concerns about security on Capitol Hill.
Ousted from leadership, Cheney vowed to continue the fight for conservative principles and against a defeated leader who continues to spread the “big lie” of voter fraud.
After Stephanic was elected, Cheney reiterated his opposition to Trump’s party leadership.
She told CNN: “I think there are some very important issues that we need to address as a party.”
“We need to be in a position where we can win back the voters who left us in 2020, where we can convey to the people how important it is to unite around a set of principles that we know are appropriate principles for the country.”
In his defense of Trump, Stephanic was unapologetic and promoted the former president’s lies about the 2020 election, but some Republicans openly questioned his conservative credentials.
She voted against Trump’s 2017 tax plan, dismissed her border wall as unrealistic, and worked hard to build a more diverse party and elect more Republican women to Congress.
While the congressman who challenged Stefanic for the convention presidency, Texas Republican Chip Roy, had a 100 percent lifetime rating from the Growth Club, the conservative group gave Stephanic a rating of just 35 percent. hundred.
When asked if there was a place in the party for Trump critics like Cheney or Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who voted to impeach Trump in January, Stephanic sought to direct a unified memorandum.
“They are part of this Republican convention,” he said, adding, “We are united to work with President Trump.”
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