Republicans pick Cheney replacement

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will take over as the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House. She overwhelmingly beat Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, in a secret ballot vote behind closed doors on Friday.

Who is Stefanik? She won her congressional seat in 2015 running as a moderate and initially parted ways with President Donald Trump on several issues. But she came to his defense during his first impeachment trial and—unlike her predecessor as House conference chair, Rep. Liz Cheney—has spoken in support of Trump’s claim that he lost the 2020 election due to voter fraud. Both Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., endorsed Stefanik for the leadership position.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew on what Cheney’s ouster indicates about the future of the Republican party.