Elise Stefanik tells Steve Bannon in 2022, Republicans need Trump and 'his coalition of voters'


In an overture to the MAGA crowd, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) appeared on Steve Bannon's radio show Thursday, saying that to win in the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans have to "run with support" from former President Donald Trump and "his coalition of voters."
Stefanik is the frontrunner to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as the House Republican Conference chair, should Cheney get ousted from the position. Cheney is a Trump critic, while Stefanik, who emerged as one of Trump's biggest defenders during his first impeachment, has doubled-down on her support. "I'm committed to being a voice and sending a clear message that we are one team," Stefanik told Bannon, "and that means working with [Trump] and working with all of our excellent Republican members of Congress."
Several conservative pundits, media personalities, and organizations have accused Stefanik of being too moderate, with the Club for Growth going so far as to call her "a liberal." Voting records show she sided with Trump 78 percent of the time, compared to Cheney at 93 percent, and while many of his fans are railing against Stefanik, Trump likes her and considers Stefanik a "Republican star."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Stefanik also told Bannon she "fully" supports Arizona's Republican-controlled Senate holding an unusual audit of the November presidential election in Maricopa County. Maricopa County election officials already conducted two audits and discovered no evidence of voter fraud, but Trump continues to spread false claims that the election was rigged against him.
"We want transparency and answers for the American people," Stefanik said, later telling Bannon she wants to "be able to fix and strengthen our election security and election integrity." The audit has come to the Justice Department's attention, with the Civil Rights Division asking the Arizona Senate to explain the steps being taken to ensure the ballots are secure and no one is committing voter intimidation.
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
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'