President Trump’s campaign event in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday evening, his first rally since the pandemic gripped the nation, incorporates all of the hallmarks of the typical Trump campaign event — red hats, boisterous crowds, and a candidate who revels in the adoration of his fans. But in a development from his past rallies, the President was joined by one of his most ardent supporters, Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the third-term congresswoman who represents much of New York’s upstate and Adirondack region.
The question is why?
During President’s Trump’s election in 2016, Stefanik, who represents New York’s 21st Congressional District, offered only tepid support for candidate Trump, and she made critical comments about his past actions and policies. Since the 2016 election, she has had a mixed record of supporting and critiquing the President’s policies, but that all changed in November of 2019. Yet following Stefanik’s full-throated defense of Trump during House Intelligence Committee impeachment hearings and her often combative exchanges with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) who chaired the committe, the President tweeted “a new Republican Star is born.” Shortly after the President’s Tweet, the New York congresswoman appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, an appearance that reportedly helped raise her profile and quickly raise $500,000 for her reelection campaign. Her star appearance on Fox also prompted the President to once again sing her praises a few days later on the network’s show, Fox & Friends and appointing her to his impeachment defense team.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 06: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) (C) stands as she's acknowledged by U.S. ... [+]
Since that #MAGA-defining moment, Stefanik has been a key defender of the President, and reveled in the media attention that comes along with it. For his part, the President has retweeted Stefanik multiple times, acknowledged her during his State of the Union address following his impeachment acquittal, and invited her to travel with him on Air Force One to the Kennedy Space Center for the launch of the SpaceX rocket last month. But by bringing Stefanik to Tulsa this weekend to open up for him in his first rally in months, it’s clear that the President is ready to elevate her profile even higher.
But what exactly does the New York Congresswoman bring to the President’s reelection campaign this weekend and beyond?
For a president who is laser focused on media appeal, Stefanik is a sure winner. Her frequent presence on television during Trump’s impeachment hearings shows she is not afraid to step out and be a surrogate for the President, even when others won’t. Second, the President is in dire need of a boost to his appeal with women voters. Recent polling shows the president trailing the Democratic candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, by a significant margin, particularly among women. Stefanik’s appeal then is not only her politics, but the fact that she is an up-and-coming female leader in the Republican party that desperately needs more female faces in its leadership ranks. For example, at the rally in Tulsa this weekend, in addition to Stefanik, Trump will be joined by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Ohio Representative Jim Jordan. Neither will likely help broaden Trump’s appeal to women, particularly independents and moderates.
But Stefanik might.
With Biden having already announced that his running mate will be a woman, it wouldn’t be surprising if Trump – who is the epitome of politically unconventional – decides he would benefit from a female running mate as well. And while Mike Pence has been a dutiful Vice President for Trump over the last three and half years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Trump, who is notorious for his catch-phrase “You’re Fired,” to blame his administration’s woeful pandemic response on Pence, who lead the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force. Pence has also been noticeably quiet of late as the President comes under immense criticism for not only the pandemic response, but also for his response to the protests that have swept the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Stefanik, for her part has been outspoken about the need to root out racism in America, but has notably avoided attending Black Lives Matters protests in her home district.
So, is Tulsa a test run of Stefanik on the presidential campaign trail? Possibly. Even if Trump doesn’t take the extraordinary step of swapping out Pence for Stefanik, it is likely that the Republican Congresswoman will be a frequent surrogate for a presidential campaign in need of a boost. For Stefanik’s part, if she is, in fact, the rising star Trump claims her to be, then her newfound national status just might take her to new political peaks higher the Adirondack mountains of her home district of in upstate New York.
Either way, it appears Elise Stefanik is having her next moment on the national stage – just exactly how big a role she plays, however, remains to be seen.
