Elise Stefanik facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elise Stefanik
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 21st district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Owens |
| Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office May 14, 2021 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Leader | |
| Preceded by | Liz Cheney |
| Succeeded by | Lisa McClain |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Elise Marie Stefanik
July 2, 1984 Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Matthew Manda
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Naval War College |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
Elise Marie Stefanik (born July 2, 1984) is an American politician. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 21st district since 2015. From 2021 to 2025, she was the Chair of the House Republican Conference, making her the fourth-highest-ranking Republican in the House.
Stefanik's district includes much of northern New York, like the Adirondack Mountains. When she was first elected in 2014, she was 30 years old. At that time, she was the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress. She was also the first woman to hold her specific House seat.
Initially, Stefanik was seen as a moderate Republican. However, she later became a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. She opposed efforts to remove Trump from office and supported his claims about the 2020 election. In May 2021, she was chosen to lead the House Republican Conference. This happened after the previous chair, Liz Cheney, was removed for disagreeing with Trump.
In December 2023, Stefanik became widely known for questioning university presidents during a hearing about antisemitism. Her questions led to the resignation of the president of the University of Pennsylvania. She also received an award for defending Israel.
In November 2024, President Trump nominated Stefanik to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations. However, her nomination was withdrawn on March 27, 2025. This was because her leaving the House would have made the Republican majority there too small. On June 27, 2025, it was announced that Stefanik plans to run for governor of New York in 2026.
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Early life and education
Elise Stefanik was born in Albany, New York, on July 2, 1984. Her parents, Melanie and Kenneth Stefanik, own a business that sells plywood. Stefanik has said her father's family is from Poland and the Czech Republic, and her mother's family is from Italy.
When she was 14, Stefanik was featured in a newspaper article. She said she supported the Republican viewpoint. Stefanik has stated that she first thought about a career in public service after the September 11 attacks.
She graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls in 2002. She then went to Harvard College, where she earned a degree in government in 2006. At Harvard, she was elected vice president of the Harvard Institute of Politics. As of August 2023, Stefanik was also studying for a master's degree at the Naval War College.
Early career
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After graduating from Harvard, Stefanik worked for President George W. Bush's administration. She was part of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council. She also worked in the office of the White House chief of staff. In 2009, she started a blog called "American Maggie." This blog aimed to share the views of conservative and Republican women. It was named after former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Stefanik helped prepare the Republican Party's plans for the 2012 United States presidential election. She also managed Paul Ryan's preparation for the 2012 vice presidential debate. After the election, she returned to New York and joined her parents' business.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2014 election
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In August 2013, Stefanik announced she would run for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 21st district. This district had been Republican for 100 years before a Democrat won it in 2009. In 2014, the current representative decided not to run again.
Stefanik won the Republican primary election. She then won the general election on November 4, 2014, with 55.1% of the votes. At 30 years old, she became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Later elections
Stefanik ran for reelection in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. She won each of these elections. In 2016, she became more supportive of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Time in office
When Stefanik first joined Congress, she was chosen to represent new members on the policy committee. In 2015, she became vice chair of a subcommittee focused on military readiness. In 2017, she was elected co-chair of the Tuesday Group. This is a group of moderate House Republicans.
Stefanik also worked to help more Republican women get elected. She led efforts for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in 2018. Later, she created a group called Elevate PAC (E-PAC). This group helps fund campaigns for Republican women. In the 2020 elections, 18 of the 30 women supported by E-PAC were elected.
In 2020, Fortune magazine named Stefanik one of their "40 Under 40" leaders in government and politics.
In May 2021, Stefanik and other House Republican leaders voted against creating a commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
Committee roles
Stefanik serves on several important committees:
- Committee on Armed Services (focuses on military matters)
- Committee on Education and Workforce (focuses on schools and jobs)
- United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (focuses on national security information)
Party leadership
In early 2021, some Republicans wanted to remove Liz Cheney from her role as House Republican Conference chair. This was because Cheney disagreed with Donald Trump's claims about the 2020 election. Stefanik was seen as a possible replacement. On May 5, 2021, Donald Trump supported Stefanik for the position. On May 14, Stefanik was elected House Republican Conference chair. After winning, she thanked Trump, calling him the leader that Republican voters look to.
After the 2022 elections, Stefanik was reelected as the conference chair.
2023 hearing on antisemitism
In December 2023, Stefanik questioned the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania during a hearing. She asked if calls for "genocide of Jewish people" counted as bullying on their campuses. Stefanik said that phrases like "From the River to the Sea" and calls for "intifada" were genocidal. The university presidents' answers caused a lot of criticism. The president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, resigned the next week. Stefanik then tweeted, "One down. Two to go."
After the hearing, the House committee announced it would investigate the universities. Stefanik also criticized Harvard's choice of a professor for its Antisemitism Task Force. Stefanik received the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Defender of Israel Award.
Groups she joined
- Republican Main Street Partnership
- Republican Governance Group
- Climate Solutions Caucus
Nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
In November 2024, it was reported that President-elect Trump offered Stefanik the job of United States ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik confirmed she accepted the offer. On November 11, Trump announced he would nominate her.
Stefanik spoke to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on January 21, 2025. She promised to fight antisemitism, support Israel and Taiwan, and counter China's influence. She also criticized the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). She praised the World Food Program and UNICEF as effective agencies.
The committee approved Stefanik's nomination on January 30, 2025. However, Senate Republicans delayed the final vote. They were worried about the small Republican majority in the House if Stefanik left. On March 27, 2025, President Trump announced he had withdrawn Stefanik's nomination. He said he asked her to stay in Congress because she was a key ally and every Republican seat was important. He also hinted she might be considered for another role later.
Political views
Stefanik was initially seen as a moderate conservative. However, during her time in the House, her views moved more to the right. She became a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.
COVID-19 vaccine
Stefanik is against federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements for private businesses. She signed a legal document arguing that Congress did not give the government power to make vaccine mandates. In July 2021, she tweeted, "FIRE FAUCI!"
Economy
Stefanik voted to approve the Keystone Pipeline. She opposed cuts to the military budget in 2013. She was concerned about how these cuts would affect Fort Drum, a military base in her district.
Stefanik voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. She said it did not protect a tax deduction that many people in New York rely on. In March 2021, Stefanik and all other House Republicans voted against a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.
Donald Trump
Stefanik has been described as very loyal to Donald Trump. In May 2021, she called Trump the "strongest supporter of any president when it comes to standing up for the Constitution."
First Trump impeachment
In September 2019, Stefanik announced she did not support the impeachment of President Trump. During the hearings in November 2019, Stefanik became a key defender of Trump. She accused the committee chairman of making up rules to prevent Republicans from asking questions.
2020 election claims
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Stefanik supported Trump's efforts to overturn the results. She made false claims about election fraud. For example, she said that "more than 140,000 votes came from underage, deceased, and otherwise unauthorized voters" in Fulton County, Georgia. She also expressed "concerns" about voting machines.
In December 2020, Stefanik supported a lawsuit that tried to reverse Trump's loss in several states. After a group of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Stefanik condemned the violence. However, she did not blame Trump. She voted against accepting Pennsylvania's electoral votes. She also opposed impeaching Trump again.
Efforts to remove Trump's impeachments
Stefanik has supported the idea of "expunging" both of Trump's impeachments. This means officially removing them from the Congressional Record. In June 2023, Stefanik and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced resolutions to do this.
Defense
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In 2015, Stefanik was the only new member of Congress on a committee that worked on a defense policy bill. This showed that party leaders saw her as a future Republican leader.
Environment
In 2017, Stefanik criticized Trump's decision to leave the Paris climate agreement. She said the move was "misguided" and "harms the ongoing effort to fight climate change." In 2017, Stefanik joined the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. This group works on solutions for climate change.
Foreign affairs
Stefanik is tough on China, calling it "the key challenge of the 21st century." She has proposed laws to stop a Chinese drone company from operating in the United States. While she initially supported military aid to Ukraine, she later voted against an aid bill.
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Stefanik is very supportive of Israel. In May 2024, she gave a speech in Israel, calling for those responsible for the October 7 attack to be "wiped off the face of the Earth." She is also very critical of the United Nations, saying it promotes "antisemitic rot."
Health care
In May 2017, Stefanik voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. She supported the Republican plan, the American Health Care Act of 2017. She defended her vote, but her claims about the new law were disputed by fact-checkers.
In 2017, Stefanik supported a bill that would allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing. If employees refused, they could face penalties. This bill was opposed by some groups concerned about genetic privacy.
Immigration
Stefanik opposed Trump's 2017 order that temporarily banned travel and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. She did not condemn the policy that separated families at the border. Instead, she praised Trump after he signed an order to stop new separations.
In March 2019, Stefanik was one of 14 Republicans who voted with Democrats to overturn Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the southern border. While she had supported DACA (a program for young immigrants), Stefanik voted against the DREAM Act in 2021.
During the 2022 baby formula shortage, Stefanik criticized the Biden administration for giving formula to undocumented immigrants. She claimed Democrats were trying to create a "permanent liberal majority" by granting amnesty to immigrants.
Intelligence
Stefanik voted to release a memo written by Republican staff members. Trump claimed this memo showed problems with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, the FBI said the memo had "material omissions of fact."
Stefanik supported ending the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Taxes
In December 2017, Stefanik voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. She said the bill did not protect a tax deduction that many people in New York rely on. She explained that New York is a high-tax state, and families need this deduction to make ends meet.
Net neutrality
After the Federal Communications Commission decided to end "net neutrality" rules in December 2017, Stefanik urged Congress to pass a law to bring the policy back. Net neutrality means internet service providers must treat all data on the internet equally.
Cybersecurity
In September 2018, Stefanik helped sponsor a bill called the Cyber Ready Workforce Act. This law would create a program to train people in cybersecurity. It aims to help more people get jobs in this field, especially for federal positions.
LGBTQ rights
In 2019, Stefanik was one of eight Republicans who voted for the Equality Act. This law would prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people. Later, she introduced a different bill, the Fairness for All Act. This bill would also ban discrimination but would include exceptions for religious groups and small businesses with religious beliefs. However, in February 2021, Stefanik voted against the Equality Act.
In July 2022, Stefanik was one of 47 Republican representatives who voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. This law made the right to same-sex marriage legal across the country.
In 2024, Stefanik called for a nationwide ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. She also wanted to ban public schools from using transgender students' preferred pronouns. She said that supporting transgender children was part of an "anti-Western" idea in education.
Voting rights
Stefanik opposes the For the People Act. She falsely claimed that the law would "prevent removal of ineligible voters from registration rolls." Fact-checkers found this claim to be false.
Women in politics
Stefanik has long supported empowering women in the Republican Party. She has worked to help more women get elected. After her election in 2014, Stefanik said that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg greatly influenced her decision to run for Congress.
Personal life
Stefanik is a Roman Catholic.
After the 2012 election, Stefanik bought a home in Willsboro, New York. Her parents had a vacation home there for many years. Stefanik follows Polish Christmas Eve traditions.
On August 19, 2017, Stefanik married Matthew Manda in Saratoga Springs, New York. Matthew Manda works in marketing and communications. In December 2018, they moved to Schuylerville. As of 2022, Manda works for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a group for gun manufacturers. They have one child, Samuel Albritton, who was born in 2021.
See also
In Spanish: Elise Stefanik para niños
- List of Harvard University politicians
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- List of United States representatives from New York
