Elise Stefanik, America’s New Ambassador To the United Nations
Elise Stefanik
American politician (born 1984)
Elise Marie Stefanik (/stəˈfɑːnɪk/ stə-FAH-nik; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 21st congressional district. As chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, she was the fourth-ranking House Republican. Stefanik's district covers most of the North Country and the Adirondack Mountains, some of the outer suburbs of Utica, and the Capital District in New York. In addition to being the first woman to occupy her House seat, Stefanik was 30 when first elected to the House in 2014, making her the youngest woman elected to Congress at the time.
Quick Facts United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nominee, President ...
Initially elected as a moderate conservative, Stefanik has moved considerably towards the right, as she aligned herself with President Donald Trump during his first term in office. She strongly opposed the first impeachment of Trump in 2019 amid the Trump–Ukraine scandal and backed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, objecting to Pennsylvania's electoral votes after Trump supporters were involved in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. As the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack began to investigate, Stefanik claimed that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was responsible for the attack. Stefanik was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in May 2021 after incumbent Liz Cheney was removed due to her opposition to President Trump.
Known for her pro-Israel beliefs, Stefanik gained national attention in December 2023 for her intense questioning of university presidents during a widely televised U.S. congressional hearing on antisemitism. Stefanik's questioning contributed to the subsequent resignation of Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania. Stefanik was awarded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award by the Zionist Organization of America. She has supported the view that Israel has a "biblical right" to the occupied West Bank
On November 10, 2024, President-elect Trump announced Stefanik would serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations.
Early life and education
Stefanik was born in Albany, New York, on July 2, 1984, to Melanie and Kenneth Stefanik. Stefanik states that her father is ethnically Czech and her mother is of Italian ancestry; genealogical records show that her father's Polish family came from western Galicia (at the time part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria), mainly from the then shtetl of Frysztak (Yiddish: Fristik; German: Freistadt) located near Jasło and Strzyżów. Her parents own a wholesale plywood distributor based in Guilderland Center, New York.
In October 1998, when she was 14, Stefanik was featured in a Times Union profile about U.S. senator Al D'Amato. In the article she is quoted saying, "I support the Republican view, especially his". Stefanik worked in Washington for six years before entering politics. According to Stefanik, she first considered a career in public service and policy in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Stefanik graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls in 2002 and enrolled at Harvard College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 2006. She was elected vice president of the Harvard Institute of Politics in 2004. At Harvard, she received an honorable mention for the Women's Leadership Award, an endowed student award for leadership and contributing toward the advancement of women.
Early career
Stefanik with President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in the 2000s
After graduating from Harvard, she joined the George W. Bush administration, as a staff member for the U.S. Domestic Policy Council. Stefanik later worked in the office of Joshua Bolten, the White House chief of staff. In 2009, she founded the blog "American Maggie", a platform to promote the views of "conservative and Republican women", named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Stefanik helped prepare the Republican platform in 2012, served as director of new media for Tim Pawlenty's presidential exploratory committee and worked at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Foreign Policy Initiative. She managed Representative Paul Ryan's debate preparation for the 2012 presidential debates. After Mitt Romney and Ryan lost the 2012 presidential election, she returned to upstate New York and joined her parents' business.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2014
Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik's freshman portrait during the 114th Congress (2015)
In August 2013, Stefanik declared her candidacy in the 2014 election for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 21st congressional district. The district had been in Republican hands for 100 years, before Democrat Bill Owens was elected to represent it in a 2009 special election. In January 2014, Owens announced that he would not seek reelection. Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee in 2009, endorsed Stefanik.
Stefanik defeated Matt Doheny in the 2014 Republican primary election, 61% to 39%. She faced Aaron Woolf, the Democratic Party nominee, and Matt Funiciello, the Green Party nominee, in the November 4 general election. Stefanik won with 55% of the vote to their 34% and 11%, respectively. At age 30, she became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the time.
2016
Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik ran for reelection in 2016. She became increasingly supportive of Donald Trump's candidacy for president after he won the 2016 Republican Party presidential primary. Stefanik said that Trump's crude remarks in the Access Hollywood tape were "wrong" but continued to endorse him.
Stefanik faced Democratic nominee Mike Derrick and Green Party nominee Matt Funiciello in the general election. She won with 66% of the vote to Derrick's 29% and Funiciello's 5%.
2018
Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
In 2017, former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton endorsed Stefanik for reelection, lauding her work on the House Armed Services Committee. Stefanik was reelected with 56% of the vote to Democratic nominee Tedra Cobb's 42% and Green Party nominee Lynn Kahn's 1.5%.
2020
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik defeated Tedra Cobb with 59% of the vote to Cobb's 41%.
2022
Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik defeated Matt Castelli, a former CIA officer, with 59.2% of the vote to Castelli's 40.8%.
Tenure
Stefanik takes the oath of office by House Speaker John Boehner in January 2015.
In January 2015, Stefanik was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee.[citation needed] The freshman representatives of the 114th Congress elected her to serve as the freshman representative to the policy committee. In February 2015, she was appointed vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness. She was invited to join the Senior Advisory Committee at the Harvard Institute of Politics shortly after her election. Stefanik was removed from the committee in 2021 following her objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes after the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
On January 11, 2017, Stefanik announced that she had been elected co-chair of the Tuesday Group, "a caucus of ... moderate House Republicans from across the country".
Stefanik led recruitment for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in the 2018 House elections; among 13 Republican women elected to the House, only one was newly elected. In December 2018, Stefanik announced she would leave the NRCC to create a "leadership PAC" dedicated to recruiting Republican women to run for office. This group, named Elevate PAC (E-PAC), announced in an October 22 press conference that it had partially funded the primary campaigns of 11 Republican women from various states. In the 2020 House elections, 18 of the 30 women endorsed by Stefanik's E-PAC were elected.
Stefanik with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, July 27, 2023
In 2020, Fortune magazine included Stefanik in its "40 Under 40" listing in the "Government and Politics" category.
On May 19, 2021, Stefanik and all other House Republican leaders voted against establishing a January 6 commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Thirty-five Republican House members and all 217 Democrats present voted to establish such a commission.
Committee assignments
Stefanik's committee assignments include:
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats, and Capabilities (Ranking Member)
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Party leadership campaign
In early 2021, after House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney supported Trump's second impeachment and refuted his claims that the election was stolen from him, some Republicans in Congress who supported Trump called for her removal. Stefanik was seen as a potential replacement for Cheney if the Republican conference decided to oust Cheney from her position, despite Cheney's more conservative credentials and greater voting record in support of Trump's policies. On May 5, Stefanik received the endorsement of Trump and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise to replace Cheney as conference chair. During a May 6 appearance on a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon, Stefanik repeatedly emphasized the need for the Republican Party to work with Trump. Representative Chip Roy challenged Stefanik from the right in a bid to replace Cheney, but was denounced by Trump, who reiterated his endorsement of Stefanik. On May 14, Stefanik was elected House Republican Conference chair. After her victory, Stefanik thanked Trump, saying, "President Trump is the leader that [Republican voters] look to".
A couple of weeks after being elected House Republican Conference chair, Politico reported that Stefanik had been responsible for planting negative stories about Jim Banks, a potential competitor for the job, and his aide Buckley Carlson, Tucker Carlson's son. This was met with displeasure by allies of Donald Trump Jr., who made it known to Stefanik that her attacks on Carlson's son had crossed a line.
After the 2022 elections, Stefanik was reelected as conference chair, defeating Byron Donalds.
2023 hearing on antisemitism
Main article: 2023 United States Congress hearing on antisemitism
During a 2023 hearing on antisemitism of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik asked the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania, who had been invited to speak, whether "calling for the genocide of Jewish people" constituted bullying or harassment on their campuses. Stefanik characterized the slogan "From the River to the Sea" and calls for an intifada as genocidal. Their responses, in which they did not say whether use of such slogans violated campus codes of conduct, drew criticism from a group of Representatives who signed an open letter calling for all three to resign. UPenn president Liz Magill, who was already facing pressure from within the university, resigned the following week. Following the announcement of Magill's resignation, Stefanik tweeted "One down. Two to go." During the hearing, when the MIT president denied hearing any calls for genocide, Stefanik claimed that chants of "intifada" (Arabic) are often considered as a "call for the genocide" by the Jewish people. Faculty, students, and alumni of Harvard were divided in their opinions of then-president Claudine Gay, with some calling for her resignation and others expressing continued support.
Following the congressional hearing, the House committee said it would launch an investigation into the learning environments and disciplinary policies at Harvard, Penn, and MIT over alleged antisemitism on their campuses. Stefanik further criticized Harvard's response to antisemitism, by denouncing the appointment of Derek Penslar to the university's Antisemitism Task Force. Stefanik said that Penslar, a Jewish Studies professor who is a Jewish critic of Israel, was "known for his despicable antisemitic views." The hearing was portrayed in the cold open of the December 9 episode of Saturday Night Live, with Chloe Troast playing Stefanik. The skit was criticized by conservatives and Jewish groups like the ADL for being complacent with anti-Semitism.
Stefanik was awarded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award by the Zionist Organization of America.
Caucus memberships
Tuesday Group (2017–2019)
Republican Main Street Partnership
Climate Solutions Caucus
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
Nomination
In November 2024, CNN reported that President-elect Trump had offered Stefanik the position of United States ambassador to the United Nations. On November 10, Stefanik confirmed to the New York Post that she had been offered and had accepted the position. Trump formally confirmed the nomination on November 11.
Stefanik appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on January 21, 2025. During the hearing, she vowed to fight antisemitism, support Israel and Taiwan, counter Chinese influence, and use American contributions as leverage to drive reforms when necessary. Stefanik’s approach to China centered on addressing its growing influence within U.N. agencies by strengthening alliances with traditional American partners, forging coalitions with smaller nations, and advocating for leadership and staffing roles in key agencies to counter China and its allies. She received bipartisan support for her plans to bolster U.S. leadership in the organization.
While critical of agencies such as the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which she accused of being infiltrated by Hamas and called for stricter scrutiny of its funding, Stefanik praised the World Food Program and UNICEF for being successful and effective agencies with positive global impact.
Political
Elise Stefanik, America’s New Ambassador To the United Nations
Elise Stefanik
American politician (born 1984)
Elise Marie Stefanik (/stəˈfɑːnɪk/ stə-FAH-nik; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 21st congressional district. As chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, she was the fourth-ranking House Republican. Stefanik's district covers most of the North Country and the Adirondack Mountains, some of the outer suburbs of Utica, and the Capital District in New York. In addition to being the first woman to occupy her House seat, Stefanik was 30 when first elected to the House in 2014, making her the youngest woman elected to Congress at the time.
Quick Facts United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nominee, President ...
Initially elected as a moderate conservative, Stefanik has moved considerably towards the right, as she aligned herself with President Donald Trump during his first term in office. She strongly opposed the first impeachment of Trump in 2019 amid the Trump–Ukraine scandal and backed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, objecting to Pennsylvania's electoral votes after Trump supporters were involved in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. As the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack began to investigate, Stefanik claimed that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was responsible for the attack. Stefanik was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in May 2021 after incumbent Liz Cheney was removed due to her opposition to President Trump.
Known for her pro-Israel beliefs, Stefanik gained national attention in December 2023 for her intense questioning of university presidents during a widely televised U.S. congressional hearing on antisemitism. Stefanik's questioning contributed to the subsequent resignation of Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania. Stefanik was awarded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award by the Zionist Organization of America. She has supported the view that Israel has a "biblical right" to the occupied West Bank
On November 10, 2024, President-elect Trump announced Stefanik would serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations.
Early life and education
Stefanik was born in Albany, New York, on July 2, 1984, to Melanie and Kenneth Stefanik. Stefanik states that her father is ethnically Czech and her mother is of Italian ancestry; genealogical records show that her father's Polish family came from western Galicia (at the time part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria), mainly from the then shtetl of Frysztak (Yiddish: Fristik; German: Freistadt) located near Jasło and Strzyżów. Her parents own a wholesale plywood distributor based in Guilderland Center, New York.
In October 1998, when she was 14, Stefanik was featured in a Times Union profile about U.S. senator Al D'Amato. In the article she is quoted saying, "I support the Republican view, especially his". Stefanik worked in Washington for six years before entering politics. According to Stefanik, she first considered a career in public service and policy in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Stefanik graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls in 2002 and enrolled at Harvard College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 2006. She was elected vice president of the Harvard Institute of Politics in 2004. At Harvard, she received an honorable mention for the Women's Leadership Award, an endowed student award for leadership and contributing toward the advancement of women.
Early career
Stefanik with President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in the 2000s
After graduating from Harvard, she joined the George W. Bush administration, as a staff member for the U.S. Domestic Policy Council. Stefanik later worked in the office of Joshua Bolten, the White House chief of staff. In 2009, she founded the blog "American Maggie", a platform to promote the views of "conservative and Republican women", named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Stefanik helped prepare the Republican platform in 2012, served as director of new media for Tim Pawlenty's presidential exploratory committee and worked at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Foreign Policy Initiative. She managed Representative Paul Ryan's debate preparation for the 2012 presidential debates. After Mitt Romney and Ryan lost the 2012 presidential election, she returned to upstate New York and joined her parents' business.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2014
Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik's freshman portrait during the 114th Congress (2015)
In August 2013, Stefanik declared her candidacy in the 2014 election for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 21st congressional district. The district had been in Republican hands for 100 years, before Democrat Bill Owens was elected to represent it in a 2009 special election. In January 2014, Owens announced that he would not seek reelection. Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee in 2009, endorsed Stefanik.
Stefanik defeated Matt Doheny in the 2014 Republican primary election, 61% to 39%. She faced Aaron Woolf, the Democratic Party nominee, and Matt Funiciello, the Green Party nominee, in the November 4 general election. Stefanik won with 55% of the vote to their 34% and 11%, respectively. At age 30, she became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the time.
2016
Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik ran for reelection in 2016. She became increasingly supportive of Donald Trump's candidacy for president after he won the 2016 Republican Party presidential primary. Stefanik said that Trump's crude remarks in the Access Hollywood tape were "wrong" but continued to endorse him.
Stefanik faced Democratic nominee Mike Derrick and Green Party nominee Matt Funiciello in the general election. She won with 66% of the vote to Derrick's 29% and Funiciello's 5%.
2018
Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
In 2017, former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton endorsed Stefanik for reelection, lauding her work on the House Armed Services Committee. Stefanik was reelected with 56% of the vote to Democratic nominee Tedra Cobb's 42% and Green Party nominee Lynn Kahn's 1.5%.
2020
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik defeated Tedra Cobb with 59% of the vote to Cobb's 41%.
2022
Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 21
Stefanik defeated Matt Castelli, a former CIA officer, with 59.2% of the vote to Castelli's 40.8%.
Tenure
Stefanik takes the oath of office by House Speaker John Boehner in January 2015.
In January 2015, Stefanik was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee.[citation needed] The freshman representatives of the 114th Congress elected her to serve as the freshman representative to the policy committee. In February 2015, she was appointed vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness. She was invited to join the Senior Advisory Committee at the Harvard Institute of Politics shortly after her election. Stefanik was removed from the committee in 2021 following her objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes after the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
On January 11, 2017, Stefanik announced that she had been elected co-chair of the Tuesday Group, "a caucus of ... moderate House Republicans from across the country".
Stefanik led recruitment for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in the 2018 House elections; among 13 Republican women elected to the House, only one was newly elected. In December 2018, Stefanik announced she would leave the NRCC to create a "leadership PAC" dedicated to recruiting Republican women to run for office. This group, named Elevate PAC (E-PAC), announced in an October 22 press conference that it had partially funded the primary campaigns of 11 Republican women from various states. In the 2020 House elections, 18 of the 30 women endorsed by Stefanik's E-PAC were elected.
Stefanik with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, July 27, 2023
In 2020, Fortune magazine included Stefanik in its "40 Under 40" listing in the "Government and Politics" category.
On May 19, 2021, Stefanik and all other House Republican leaders voted against establishing a January 6 commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Thirty-five Republican House members and all 217 Democrats present voted to establish such a commission.
Committee assignments
Stefanik's committee assignments include:
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats, and Capabilities (Ranking Member)
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Party leadership campaign
In early 2021, after House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney supported Trump's second impeachment and refuted his claims that the election was stolen from him, some Republicans in Congress who supported Trump called for her removal. Stefanik was seen as a potential replacement for Cheney if the Republican conference decided to oust Cheney from her position, despite Cheney's more conservative credentials and greater voting record in support of Trump's policies. On May 5, Stefanik received the endorsement of Trump and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise to replace Cheney as conference chair. During a May 6 appearance on a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon, Stefanik repeatedly emphasized the need for the Republican Party to work with Trump. Representative Chip Roy challenged Stefanik from the right in a bid to replace Cheney, but was denounced by Trump, who reiterated his endorsement of Stefanik. On May 14, Stefanik was elected House Republican Conference chair. After her victory, Stefanik thanked Trump, saying, "President Trump is the leader that [Republican voters] look to".
A couple of weeks after being elected House Republican Conference chair, Politico reported that Stefanik had been responsible for planting negative stories about Jim Banks, a potential competitor for the job, and his aide Buckley Carlson, Tucker Carlson's son. This was met with displeasure by allies of Donald Trump Jr., who made it known to Stefanik that her attacks on Carlson's son had crossed a line.
After the 2022 elections, Stefanik was reelected as conference chair, defeating Byron Donalds.
2023 hearing on antisemitism
Main article: 2023 United States Congress hearing on antisemitism
During a 2023 hearing on antisemitism of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik asked the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania, who had been invited to speak, whether "calling for the genocide of Jewish people" constituted bullying or harassment on their campuses. Stefanik characterized the slogan "From the River to the Sea" and calls for an intifada as genocidal. Their responses, in which they did not say whether use of such slogans violated campus codes of conduct, drew criticism from a group of Representatives who signed an open letter calling for all three to resign. UPenn president Liz Magill, who was already facing pressure from within the university, resigned the following week. Following the announcement of Magill's resignation, Stefanik tweeted "One down. Two to go." During the hearing, when the MIT president denied hearing any calls for genocide, Stefanik claimed that chants of "intifada" (Arabic) are often considered as a "call for the genocide" by the Jewish people. Faculty, students, and alumni of Harvard were divided in their opinions of then-president Claudine Gay, with some calling for her resignation and others expressing continued support.
Following the congressional hearing, the House committee said it would launch an investigation into the learning environments and disciplinary policies at Harvard, Penn, and MIT over alleged antisemitism on their campuses. Stefanik further criticized Harvard's response to antisemitism, by denouncing the appointment of Derek Penslar to the university's Antisemitism Task Force. Stefanik said that Penslar, a Jewish Studies professor who is a Jewish critic of Israel, was "known for his despicable antisemitic views." The hearing was portrayed in the cold open of the December 9 episode of Saturday Night Live, with Chloe Troast playing Stefanik. The skit was criticized by conservatives and Jewish groups like the ADL for being complacent with anti-Semitism.
Stefanik was awarded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award by the Zionist Organization of America.
Caucus memberships
Tuesday Group (2017–2019)
Republican Main Street Partnership
Climate Solutions Caucus
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
Nomination
In November 2024, CNN reported that President-elect Trump had offered Stefanik the position of United States ambassador to the United Nations. On November 10, Stefanik confirmed to the New York Post that she had been offered and had accepted the position. Trump formally confirmed the nomination on November 11.
Stefanik appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on January 21, 2025. During the hearing, she vowed to fight antisemitism, support Israel and Taiwan, counter Chinese influence, and use American contributions as leverage to drive reforms when necessary. Stefanik’s approach to China centered on addressing its growing influence within U.N. agencies by strengthening alliances with traditional American partners, forging coalitions with smaller nations, and advocating for leadership and staffing roles in key agencies to counter China and its allies. She received bipartisan support for her plans to bolster U.S. leadership in the organization.
While critical of agencies such as the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which she accused of being infiltrated by Hamas and called for stricter scrutiny of its funding, Stefanik praised the World Food Program and UNICEF for being successful and effective agencies with positive global impact.
Political