BY JOHN BRESNAHAN, ANNA PALMER AND JAKE SHERMAN

THE TOP

Rep. Elise Stefanik — a 36-year-old upstate New Yorker and ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump — is the new chair of the House Republican Conference.

Stefanik easily beat back a challenge by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. The vote count was 134-46. Stefanik is replacing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who was removed from her leadership slot earlier this week due to her frequent criticism of Trump.

Here’s what this means:

→ The Republican leadership gets a chance to turn the page. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) relationship Cheney was beyond repair. He is close with Stefanik. Stefanik has also been on House Minority Whip Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) whip team for years. She is two decades younger than McCarthy and Scalise, from a different kind of district and a different part of the country. McCarthy’s team can use a reset. Let’s see if McCarthy uses it to his advantage.

→ Stefanik understands the shift in the Republican Party. Stefanik was elected as a moderate from a moderate district. Her district has shifted drastically in Trump’s direction. Unlike McCarthy, Scalise and NRCC Chair Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Stefanik has had to win tough general election contests. The Harvard-educated Stefanik has changed too. She was a former staffer for Paul Ryan and George W. Bush who morphed into one of the most ardent defenders of Trump. 

→ Stefanik has a thick policy portfolio. McCarthy has been in leadership since 2010, so his committee experience is a bit thin. Scalise is on Energy and Commerce. Stefanik has three committees: Armed Services, Intelligence and Education and Labor. Understanding the modern committee process and how members interact in the policy making process is helpful.

→ She wants to get more women elected. One of the hallmarks of Stefanik’s time in Congress is her Elevate PAC, which she created to get more women elected to Congress. Republicans can always use more women. Stefanik has a structure in place to try to make strides.

Stay tuned for much more in Punchbowl News Midday.

Editorial photo by Getty Images