Stefanik Announces Bid for House GOP Chair, Faces Challenger Donalds

Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) will compete to be the next House Republican Conference chair after the November elections.

Stefanik, the current conference chair who replaced Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in the position in May 2021, announced her reelection bid on Sept. 13. Her announcement signals that she will not seek the position of House majority whip, should the Republicans retake the House in November.

“For the next 56 days, I’m laser-focused on working to ensure we earn a historic Republican Majority,” Stefanik wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I am proud to have unified the entire Republican Conference around our country in crisis message and shattered fundraising records as House GOP Conference Chair raising over $10M for candidates and committees this cycle.”

She continued, “With the broad support of NY21 and my House GOP colleagues, I intend to run for Conference Chair in the next Congress.”

With Republicans optimistic about their chances of taking back the House after the midterm elections, there could be reshuffles in the House Republican hierarchy. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said last month that he believes he will be the next House speaker. Meanwhile, current Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) is likely to move up to majority leader, meaning the position of the majority whip is up for grabs.

In May 2021, Stefanik was elected to the No. 3 post in the House Republican leadership, after Cheney was ousted from the position over her vocal criticism of former President Donald Trump and the party’s messaging.

Donalds, who serves on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, also announced his candidacy for the conference chair on Tuesday.

“As one of the most prominent voices of the House GOP Agenda, I’m the best candidate to lead an effective communications strategy should Republicans take