Stefanik, Elise, 1984-

Elise Marie Stefanik (born July 2, 1984) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 21st congressional district since 2015. As chair of the House Republican Conference since May 2021, she is the third-ranking House Republican.

Born and raised in Albany, New York, she graduated from the Albany Academy for Girls and enrolled at Harvard College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 2006. After graduating from Harvard, she joined the George W. Bush administration, working as staff for the Domestic Policy Council. Stefanik later worked in the office of the White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten. Stefanik helped prepare the Republican platform in 2012, served as director of new media for Tim Pawlenty's presidential exploratory committee and worked at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Foreign Policy Initiative. Stefanik managed Representative Paul Ryan's debate preparation for the 2012 presidential debates. After Romney and Ryan lost the 2012 presidential election, she returned to upstate New York and joined her parents' business.

In August 2013, Stefanik declared her candidacy in the 2014 election for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 21st congressional district. After her election, Stefanik carved out a moderate image. Stefanik was ranked the 19th-most bipartisan House member during the first session of the 115th United States Congress by the Bipartisan Index. Though pro-life, she believes Republicans should be more understanding of other positions on the issue. In January 2017, Stefanik joined the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, an apparent indication of "a moderate stance on climate change issues". On May 4, 2017, Stefanik voted on party lines in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and passing the House Republican-sponsored American Health Care Act. In the 116th Congress, Stefanik was one of eight Republicans to vote in favor of the Equality Act; in the 117th Congress, she voted against the Equality Act on February 25, 2021, despite supporting the same legislation in the previous Congress. Stefanik has long advocated for empowering women in the Republican Party and has influenced the party's culture to prioritize electing more women.