Liz Cheney's likely replacement has much lower ratings from conservative groups
![Elise Stefanik.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4P5BhbFtpwDwg6nZwwYCLB-415-80.jpg)
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) looks primed to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as the GOP conference chair despite having much lower ratings from conservative groups than her colleague.
The American Conservative Union, for instance, has given Cheney a lifetime grade of 78 percent, while Stefanik's sits at just 44 percent, based on how often their votes align with the group's positions. The figures from the conservative Heritage Action group are similar at 80 and 48 percent, respectively. But Stefanik has something Cheney doesn't have: the support of former President Donald Trump.
Punchbowl News and other outlets are reporting that Trump will back Stefanik's push to take over the No. 3 House Republican role, suggesting that her willingness to embrace and defend Trump in the past — despite her more moderate voting record — has paid off.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some political analysts argue that Stefanik's rise proves the movement to oust Cheney isn't really about party unity, as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) claims, and is instead about appeasing Trump, whom Cheney has not backed down from denouncing over the past few months. Trump himself boosted that theory in a statement Wednesday that criticized not only Cheney, but also former Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Tim O'Donnell
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Ukraine's Olympians: going for gold in the line of fire
Under the Radar Hundreds of the country's athletes have died in battle, while those who remain deal with the psychological toll of war and prospect of Russian competitors
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published