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Outspoken Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney is being pushed out as the third-ranking member of the GOP caucus by other Republicans after speaking out against former President Donald Trump, and in her stead, upstate New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is reportedly making moves to replace her.
Stefanik, who has staunchly supported and stood by Trump, is working behind the scenes to whip up enough support to replace Cheney, according to reports, with few challengers stepping up to stand in her way.
According to a CNN report, the House GOP leadership is quietly backing Stefanik’s ascension as it looks to distance itself from Cheney, who has been engaged in a feud with Trump and his supporters.
Stefanik, of Albany, a 36-year-old graduate of Harvard University, reportedly has been busy working the phones, with a vote on Cheney’s future within the GOP expected as soon as Wednesday, May 12.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been in hot water since voting to charge Trump with inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol during his second impeachment proceeding, while Stefanik supported Trump through both, and joined other lawmakers in signing a lawsuit to invalidate millions of votes in the 2020 election.
Trump himself endorsed Stefanik, calling her a “far superior choice” to Cheney, whom he said, “has no business in Republican Party Leadership.”
Since the election, Cheney has been outspoken against those who have said without evidence that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged," and she has publicly feuded with the former president while calling those election claims, "the Big Lie."
“Republicans recognize the optics of replacing Cheney with a man, and top members of the conference would prefer that a woman emerges in the number three position -- particularly one like Stefanik, who is unlikely to cause internal backlash,” the report states. “Stefanik is the clear favorite.”
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