Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) won her upstate New York seat comfortably back in 2018. She beat her opponent, Tedra Cobb by 14%. But thanks to her performance during the public impeachment hearings, she may have a tougher time in a rematch against Cobb in 2020.
In conservative circles, she is being called a breakout star, but in her district, there are mixed feelings over her coziness with Donald Trump. Over five days of impeachment hearings the 35-year-old was all-in and shoulder-to-shoulder with her GOP colleagues.
Salon writes, “When it came time to question Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Republicans relied on Stefanik, the only woman on the committee, to do their grilling.” The publication wondered “why Stefanik willingly took on such a high-profile role during the impeachment hearings.”
Her district tilts only slightly Republican, and voted for Democrats in six previous presidential elections before swinging to Donald Trump in 2016. Stefanik’s brand was built around a carefully cultivated image of moderation, and she’s now rebranded herself as a Trump loyalist and all-out obstructionist in the mold of (Rep. Jim) Jordan and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
NPR’s Brian Mann points out, This is still a Republican-leaning rural district in upstate New York. Stefanik, the incumbent, has the clear advantage.” But he says by championing Trump throughout the impeachment hearings “Stefanik faces a suddenly energized Democratic opponent back home.“
Ken Tingley, Editor of The Post-Star, a newspaper in Stefanik’s district (Glens Falls, NY) wrote “Stefanik bragged about her independence and how she was a free thinker, willing to cross the aisle and make deals for the betterment of her district and the country.” But he says:
“There she was this past week, right in the middle of the political fray, trading insults with powerful politicians, being interviewed on national television and using her position on the House Intelligence Committee to be transparently political.
It makes me wonder if we ever knew her at all.“
“Not only is she not one of us, she never even tried to be.
She prefers social media to pressing the flesh and debating the issues in person with local voters.”
Another newspaper in NY’s 21st district, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, pointed out that the backlash against Stefanik over the last week has helped Cobb raise more than a million dollars:
“Cobb’s campaign did not yet respond to requests for comment on how the money would be spent or what it means for the future of her campaign.”
“‘I am overwhelmed by the amount of energy behind this campaign,’” Cobb wrote in an email. “This incredible grassroots support will ensure we have the resources to make sure voters know the difference between me and Elise Stefanik.”
On the flip side, Stefanik has gotten a boost thanks to Trump and Sean Hannity. Syracuse.com writes that the Congresswoman “raised $500,000 for her election campaign in less than two hours Thursday night after appearing on Sean Hannity’s TV show on Fox News.”
And she got more help after Trump mentioned her on Fox News on Friday.
