Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York — the No. 4 House Republican — has accepted an offer from President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, according to sources.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins was the first to report Trump’s offer to Stefanik. We reported Stefanik’s interest in the post on Oct. 28.
With the House GOP majority only likely to be 221 to 222 seats, this could be an issue for Republicans, depending on the timing. But Stefanik’s seat is extraordinarily red. Stefanik won by 24 points last week. Still, there will be a vacancy here when Trump makes the appointment and Stefanik is confirmed.
The 40-year-old Stefanik was first elected to the House in 2014. She ascended to the chairmanship of the House Republican Conference in 2021, knocking off then Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who was sharply critical of Trump.
Stefanik is known for her role on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, where she was the key figure in hearings that resulted in the resignation of the president of Harvard, her alma mater.
But the New York Republican also has significant experience in the national security and intelligence realm. Stefanik has served for years on the Armed Services Committee. And in 2017, she got a seat on the Intelligence Committee.
With a likely 53-seat Senate Republican majority, Stefanik will almost certainly be confirmed quickly.
Stefanik’s appointment to be Trump’s envoy to the United Nations sets off a massive scramble for one of the top leadership positions in the House. Leadership elections are scheduled for this week. We’ll have to see if Speaker Mike Johnson pushes the conference chair race until later to give candidates more time to run.
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) is one name we’ve heard frequently for this job. But Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is 91 and if Hinson wants his seat, she may not gain much from being in the House GOP leadership.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) is also seen as a top contender. Donalds, though, has been in the mix as a potential gubernatorial candidate back home. And House Republican Conference rules mandate that any member of leadership gunning for another office must step down from their position to run.
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), a popular member of the leadership, could also be in the mix here and would be a strong contender. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) is the vice chair of the House Republican Conference and will almost certainly take a look at this job. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) will be in the mix too.
Whether Republicans admit it publicly or not, they will probably want to ensure that Stefanik’s replacement is a woman, or else the top of the party will be all white men.
