Elise Stefanik (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New York's 21st Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2015. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Stefanik (Republican Party, Conservative Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 21st Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
On November 11, 2024, Donald Trump (R) announced he had selected Stefanik as his nominee for U.N. Ambassador in his second presidential term. This appointment requires Senate confirmation.
Stefanik was born in Albany, New York, and graduated from Harvard University in 2006 with a degree in government. Stefanik was first elected to Congress in 2014, and re-elected five times.
In 2014, Stefanik defeated Aaron Woolf (D) 55-34% in the general election for New York's 21st Congressional District, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since 1993. At age 30, Stefanik was the youngest woman elected to Congress at the time. According to a 2016 Roll Call profile, Stefanik "is solidly conservative on key issues — she opposes government regulation and abortion, and she supports private gun ownership. But she has voted against her party on divisive issues 15 percent of the time, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis."
Stefanik voted for Trump in 2016, but opposed some of his initiatives during his first term. She was one of 12 House Republicans to oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Trump signed into law on December 22, 2017. She also opposed his March 6, 2017, executive order suspending the issuance of visas to individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In 2020, Trump selected Stefanik to serve on his impeachment defense team during his first impeachment. On January 6, 2021, Stefanik joined 138 House Republicans in opposing certifying Biden the winner of the 2020 election. In May 2021, House Republicans elected Stefanik House conference chair, the third-highest-ranking U.S. House member, replacing Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R). House Republicans voted to remove Cheney following her vote to impeach Trump over his role in the January 6 breach of the Capitol.
The Wall Street Journal's Katy Stech Ferek and Jimmy Vielkind wrote that Stefanik "has gained prominence for her fierce loyalty to the president-elect. She reaped record campaign donations in 2020 after she vigorously defended Trump during his 2019 impeachment. In 2022, she endorsed him in the presidential race before he had announced publicly that he would run. That made her the first member of Congress to do so.” In her 2024 re-election campaign, Stefanik said she was "running on my record of real results for the hardworking families, small businesses, farms, veterans, law enforcement. This is the most important election of our lifetime at the presidential level, and of course the congressional level and senate level, as well. I’m proud to be a top surrogate for President Trump."
Before joining Congress, Stefanik worked in President George W. Bush's (R) administration from 2006 to 2009. In 2012, Stefanik worked on former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R) presidential campaign and helped prep U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R) in his vice presidential debate against Biden.
Stefanik received an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 2006. She worked as an aide to former President George W. Bush (R) from 2006 to 2009, and was the director of 2012 vice presidential debate preparations for Paul Ryan (R). She also managed sales and marketing for her family’s business, Premium Plywood Products.
Stefanik was first elected to the U.S. House in 2015 to represent New York's 21st Congressional District. She served as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025.
