White House, Fretting About a Possible Special Election Upset, Pulls Elise Stefanik’s Nomination as UN Ambassador

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik will not be America’s new representative at the United Nations and will instead keep her seat in the House, President Trump announced on Thursday. With Democrats overperforming in special elections in deep-red areas, the president says he is concerned Ms. Stefanik’s district could flip blue in a special election this year. Ms. Stefanik was nominated as U.N. ambassador by the president last year after she became a forceful critic of American universities for their response to anti-Israel encampments and activism. The president now says that there are others who can do the Turtle Bay job, though there is no guarantee that another Republican can win her deep-red seat, which covers much of upstate New York. “As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning. I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. “With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” he continued. Ms. Stefanik seemed to be unaware of the machinations to pull her nomination up until the final hours, considering she was posting retrospectives on Instagram about her time in the House. On Thursday morning, she was sharing memories from her five terms in Congress, thanking supporters, and highlighting her accomplishments. A spokeswoman for Ms. Stefanik did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Pulling the nomination speaks volumes about how the GOP now feels about its perilous political situation. With only a two-seat majority in the House, Speaker Johnson cannot afford to lose anyone on critical pieces of legislation, especially the coming reconciliation package that will include increases in defense and border security spending, as well as an extension of Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.Ms. Stefanik has kept her seat in the House to help pass some of those items, including a budget blueprint that was passed by the House by just one vote. Mr. Trump won Ms. Stefanik’s district by 20 points, 60 percent to 40 percent, over Vice President Harris in 2024. It is likely that recent special election results and polling out of another special congressional election have spooked the White House and Republicans at Washington into keeping Ms. Stefanik in her seat so as not to risk any changeover. On Tuesday, a Democrat in Pennsylvania won a special state senate election in a district that went for Mr. Trump by 15 points. In Florida, a Republican state legislator named Randy Fine is running to succeed Michael Waltz, who left his House seat to become national security advisor. According to new polling from the district, the Democratic candidate trails Mr. Fine by only four points in Florida’s 6th district, which Mr. Trump won with 64 percent of the vote in November. To take the U.N. job, Ms. Stefanik gave up her position as the House Republican conference chairwoman — the number four spot in leadership — that comes with an office just one floor below the House chamber. She was replaced as conference chairwoman by Congresswoman Lisa McClain, though Ms. Stefanik has still been using her Capitol building office, while Ms. McClain has had to trek across the street to reach hers as the New York congresswoman was awaiting Senate confirmation for the U.N. post. Mr. Trump says that Ms. Stefanik will remain in the Republican leadership, though it is not clear exactly where that will be, given that all leadership posts and committee gavels are taken by other lawmakers. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Ms. McClain would not resign from her position.

White House, Fretting About a Possible Special Election Upset, Pulls Elise Stefanik’s Nomination as UN Ambassador

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