Representative Elise Stefanik spoke during a campaign rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

November 11, 2024 —

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Representative Elise Stefanik to serve in his Cabinet as ambassador to the United Nations.

According to Politico, Trump said he was “honored to nominate Stefanik, describing her as “an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter.”

In a statement to the New York Post, Stefanik said she was “deeply humbled” to accept Trump’s nomination. “I look forward to having the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate,” Stefanik said.

If approved, a special election would be held in the North Country’s 21st Congressional District, which Stefanik has represented since 2015.

NY GOP Chairman Ed Cox issued a statement Monday morning congratulating Stefanik’s appointment. “Republicans will hold this safe Republican seat as part of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives that will help deliver on President Trump’s historic mandate,” Cox said in the statement.

When she was first elected, Stefanik was considered a moderate Republican and a future leader of the party. In her first three terms, she rose to the 13th most bipartisan member of Congress, according to the Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index.

That began to change in 2020, when Stefanik sided with then-President Trump during his two impeachments and became increasingly loyal to Trump.

In 2021, she became leader of the Republican Party, replacing Rep. Liz Cheney as chair of the House GOP Conference.

Stefanik rose to additional national prominence in late 2023 and early 2024 when she led congressional hearings on anti-Semitism on college campuses.

Stefanik has also been critical of US involvement in the UN. He said in a recent statement that the Biden administration has allowed the UN to “rot with anti-Semitism.”

UN ambassador is considered an influential position, previously held by Madeline Albright, George HW Bush and, during Trump’s last presidency, Nikki Haley.