On paper, Elise Stefanik doesn’t look like many other House Republicans. The Harvard alumna is 30 years old, a former White House staffer, and a woman. But the best evidence available suggests she’ll be joining the House GOP caucus in January; A Sienna College poll released on October 27 showed Ms. Stefanik leading her Democratic rival Aaron Woolf in the race to represent New York’s 21st District by 18 points.
While the election itself looks unlikely to be a nail-biter, Stefanik’s status as a rising star in the party makes it a race to watch.
A graduate of Harvard University and former advisor to George W. Bush and Vice Presidential candidate Congressman Paul Ryan, Stefanik would become the youngest woman ever elected to the House of Representatives. And with youth comes change: Stefanik supports some types of over-the-counter birth control while sticking with the Republican line of repealing and replacing Obamacare and protecting the 2nd Amendment. Perhaps most importantly, Stefanik might be able to inject some bipartisanship into the House GOP caucus. In a recent interview, she mentioned aisle-crossing initiatives including support for the Farm Bill and for Fort Drum, the Jefferson Country home of the 10th Mountain Division.
Stefanik’s political writing at Harvard confirms this moderate trait. Stefanik co-authored an article in The Crimson with the then-Director of the Institute of Politics, former Democratic Governor Jeanne Shahee, urging college students to become more politically active after Hurricane Katrina. As student she also wrote an article titled, “All The Men Presidents,” critiquing the lack of women in leadership roles at Harvard. She contended that, “Though there is undoubtedly a place for campus women’s groups, it must not come at the cost of perpetuating the idea that women can only be executives or leaders of these single-sex groups.” Ms. Stefanik served on the Student Advisory Committee at the IOP; she graduated cum laude and received the Women’s Leadership Award.
Ms. Stefanik is not a newcomer to Washington; she spent much of her early career as a policy and communications aid to Republican campaigns, think-tanks, and offices. Karl Rove’s SuperPAC American Crossroads spent over $800,000 to help defeat her Republican primary challenger, Matt Doheny; advertisements from the SuperPAC portrayed him as an island-owning millionaire, out of touch with everyday life. A recent ad paid for by Ms. Stefanik’s campaign titled “New Ideas. New Leadership.” shows her meeting with business leaders and community members; the video also highlights her youth by showing her taking picture with an iPhone.
While the ballots are not in yet, it looks as though Ms. Stefanik will be the next representative for the North Country. Combining Washington experience and savvy with a unique perspective and apparent commitment to bi-partisanship, this rising star is one to watch – on election night and beyond.