Trump pulls Elise Stefanik's nomination after last-minute panic
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The Trump administration will leave Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) in the House, just days before the Senate was finally ready to move on her nomination as UN ambassador.
Why it matters: Stefanik has waited for months on her nomination due to the House GOP's tiny margin. The Florida special elections are Tuesday, but the administration has gotten cold feet about its margin ahead of crucial votes.
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch (R-Idaho) told reporters Thursday that Stefanik's nomination would be pulled, shortly before President Trump confirmed the news on Truth Social.
Zoom in: President Trump will do tele-town halls Thursday in the special elections to replace former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz.
- Trump has privately expressed concern about the Florida special elections, according to a person familiar with his comments.
- In FL-1, Republicans look on course to replace Gaetz with nominee Jimmy Patronis.
But in FL-6, GOP nominee Randy Fine has underperformed to the extent that the state and national parties have had to intervene.
- Public polling shows Fine within the margin of error in the district, which Trump won by 30 points in November.
- Private GOP polling is even scarier for Republicans: A recent survey by Tony Fabrizio, who was a chief strategist for Trump in 2024, has Fine down by three percentage points after leading by 12 in February, according to a person familiar with the data.
Between the lines: Stefanik's nomination was expected to move forward on Wednesday, April 2 — the day after the Florida specials, Axios reported just last week.
- "Congresswoman Stefanik is a great ally to President Trump, and we look forward to her confirmation as the next ambassador to the United Nations," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios last week.
- Stefanik's seat would have been filled by a special election in New York, where Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has given signs she'd slow-walk the replacement.
The bottom line: Stefanik has worked hard for years to raise her stature in Trump's orbit.
- The pulled nomination leaves her stranded in the House — with no leadership position after serving as No. 4 and a reduced committee workload that was planned around her forthcoming administration role.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note that a private poll showed GOP nominee Randy Fine down by three percentage points (not up by three).
