Stefanik’s Political Evolution Mirrors Story of Today’s GOP
NEW YORK (AP) — There was a brief time, not long ago, when Elise Stefanik wouldn't say Donald Trump’s name.
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Today, Stefanik is one of Trump’s fiercest defenders in the House of Representatives.
And her loyalty to the former president has carried the 36-year-old New York congresswoman to the brink of becoming one of the most powerful women on Capitol Hill.
Stefanik’s evolution is the story of the modern-day Republican Party.
Today's GOP has come to believe that the path to power and fundraising success runs through Trump, whether party members like him or not.
A few Republicans have resisted Trump's influence, but the vast majority has fallen in line even as Trump continues to spread disinformation about the 2020 election.