Exclusive: Elise Stefanik Views Trump Voters as ‘Critical’ to Republicans Winning Midterms

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) believes the Trump-supporter coalition is “critical” to Republicans taking the House majority in next year’s midterm elections, she told host Matthew Boyle during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Saturday.

Stefanik, who is positioned to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as House Republican Conference chair next week, discussed what she would do differently from Cheney if her colleagues do in fact elect her to the role.

“Number one, I would listen to the voters across the country, which I do every day in my district, which voted overwhelmingly for President Trump,” Stefanik said, referencing New York’s 21st Congressional District, where Stefanik has handily won each of her races since first being elected in 2014. Former President Donald Trump carried her district by ten points in 2020.

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Stefanik emphasized during the interview that the role of the conference chair is to serve as a “unified voice” that can speak on behalf of the majority of House Republicans.

Cheney, the current chair, has repeatedly taken heat from her constituents in Wyoming and from her colleagues in Congress for not only breaking with her party in January to vote in favor of impeaching Trump, but for continuing to speak out against the former president’s role within the GOP.

“I would also spend the time listening to the members of the conference and making sure that we’re representing the majority of the Republican conference’s views, and when you’re not able to do that anymore, you should step down from those leadership positions. You should realize that it’s not an opportunity for you to share your personal views, whatever they may be, that you speak for the team,” Stefanik said.

In the 2020 general election, Trump received 75 million votes, or about 47 percent, carrying half the states in the country, a point Stefanik said is “critical” for Republican leaders to consider going into the 2022 elections.

“I also would make sure that we’re not attacking our fellow members and attacking President Trump and Trump supporters,” she explained. “If you look at the November election, President Trump earned more votes than any other Republican nominee candidate for president in our nation’s history, and those voters, that coalition is going to be critical going into the next election.”

Trump this week announced he endorsed Stefanik for conference chair, which is also the third-ranking Republican position in the House. Trump called Cheney a “warmongering fool” and Stefanik a “tough and smart communicator.” Stefanik warmly accepted the former president’s endorsement and commented that the party was focused on “firing Pelosi”:

The New York Republican reiterated during the interview with Breitbart News that she would indeed zone in on opposing lead Democrats as conference chair. “The other focus I would have is on Joe Biden’s destructive radical policies and Nancy Pelosi’s socialist policies in the House,” she said, warning that “the more infighting that we have in the Republican conference takes away from the laser focus we should have on Americans’ frustration with how dangerous Joe Biden’s presidency has already been.”

Stefanik added, “I know that voters across this country want people who can stand strong and fight on their behalf and speak with a clear message about what’s at stake.”

Write to Ashley Oliver at aoliver@breitbart.com.