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House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., announced her bid for reelection to a sixth term after raising more than $3 million in the first quarter of 2023.
Stefanik tweeted on Wednesday how she was “humbled by the outpouring support” for her reelection and reaffirmed her commitment to the America First movement. In a quote to RSBN, she promised to “expand” her party’s majority in the lower chamber and help “elect President Trump in 2024.”
“The fight to save our country and our state will not be easy but I have never been more determined to work my hardest to save our country,” Stefanik stated. “I am grateful for the hundreds of thousands of grassroots donors in Upstate New York and across the country.”
She continued, “We will work our hardest to defeat the Democrats across New York and the country, to protect and expand our House majority and elect President Trump in 2024.”
Stefanik, the third-highest ranking House Republican after swiping the role from former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., also announced the launch of her “New York Battle Ground Fund” to assist New York GOP congressional candidates in 2024.
The money raised will be geared towards protecting the state’s vulnerable incumbent House Republicans, and target swing seats held by congressional Democrats in the Empire State.
New York congressional races are critical for determining which party controls the House. The state was a heavy battleground in 2022, and had a net gain of three seats for Republicans, delivering the House GOP’s narrow three-seat majority.
The state’s current makeup gives Democrats 15 House seats to Republicans’ 11. However, this has sparked fury among leftists, including both Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James.
Hochul and James support an ongoing lawsuit to toss the state’s congressional map after it was redrawn by a court-appointed expert last year following the Democrats’ attempt to gerrymander and eliminate half of the Republican-leaning districts.
Hochul argued earlier this month that redrawing the map will “ensure accountability and fairness” among voters.
Stefanik’s fundraising will be essential if the lawsuit to throw out the current congressional map succeeds.
According to Stefanik’s campaign executive director Alex DeGrasse, over half of the $3 million haul was reportedly raised for her reelection campaign, her E-PAC political action committee, and the Elise Victory Fund, The Post Star reported.
