Congresswoman Elise Stefanik joins the podcast this week to talk about the record number of Republican women who have been elected to Congress. She gives us insight into why more conservative women are running than ever and also shares her own experience as a strong conservative woman, including the recent controversy of her alma mater, Harvard University, dropping her from an advisory committee. 

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik proudly represents New York’s 21st District in the House of Representatives in her third term in office. She is a Member of the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. On the Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Stefanik serves as Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities and is a Member of the Subcommittee on Readiness. On the Committee on Education and Labor, she serves on the Subcommittees on Higher Education & Workforce Development and Civil Rights & Human Services. Congresswoman Stefanik is proudly the youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress in United States history.

Transcript

Beverly:

Welcome to She Thinks, a podcast where you’re allowed to think for yourself. I’m your host, Beverly Hallberg. On today’s episode, we’re honored to have on Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to talk about the record number of Republican women who have joined her in Congress. She’ll give us insight into why more conservative women are running than ever before and also share her own experience as a strong conservative woman, including the recent controversy of her alma mater, Harvard University, dropping her from an advisory committee. We’re going to get into all of that.

We know you know her well, but a little bit more about the congresswoman. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik proudly represents New York’s 21st district in the House of representatives and is serving in her third term in office. She is a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Finally, she is proudly the youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress in United States history. Congresswoman, it is a pleasure to have you on She Thinks today.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

I am so excited to join this podcast.

Beverly:

It is interesting timing because it has been quite a 2021 so far. It’s been a busy week. I was hoping we could start there, with just the recent events in the past week. We have seen violence at the Capitol. We’ve had electoral votes for Joe Biden certified. We’ve had the House impeach President Trump for the second time, and you personally have been a victim of cancel culture by your alma mater. I want to get to Harvard later on, but I was hoping we could just start with what it’s been like for you on Capitol Hill in the past week.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

Well, first of all, this is an extraordinarily challenging time for every American across the country as they are watching their TV screens of the violence that occurred at the Capitol last week. I want to be very clear that I condemn the violent acts, the destruction, and the loss of life that occurred at the Capitol. It’s very important, I believe, that we come together as Americans to make sure that those individuals, the criminals, are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I do think it is important to note listeners that Congress has a history of debating the Electoral College, and, in fact, the history of objecting to electors is something that the Democratic Party and Democratic members of Congress have done against every Republican president in my lifetime, in 1989, in 2001, 2005, and 2017. I believe that the American people deserved a debate on election security, election integrity issues, and that was what, unfortunately, after the violence, we got back to work and had that discussion in a peaceful manner. Ultimately, President-Elect Joe Biden was certified, and, of course, he’ll be sworn into office on January 20th. But, we need to, in the future, focus on those election security and election integrity issues. I want to see a commission, bipartisan focus on how we can strengthen our elections in the future.

Obviously, this has been extraordinarily challenging. I was in the House Chamber as they locked down the House Chamber. I was on deck, actually, to speak next, so I was right in the center of the area where the Republican members speak. It was a very scary moment to have the Capitol police make the announcement saying they were locking down the chamber. We had to crunch down and duck behind each of the chairs. We were also told to get out gas masks, which were under the chairs, which I didn’t even know about as a member of Congress, since this was the first time that something like this has ever happened.

I do want to thank our Capitol police who, under just significant, significant pressure, worked very, very hard to secure the People’s House for the American people. And, I want to make sure that all of our prayers of all the listeners go out to family members of the Capitol police officers who lost their life, one during the events and one subsequently after.

Beverly:

What went through your mind when you first learned that people had breached the Capitol? You talk about needing to duck, the possibility of needing a gas mask. Of course, there were concerns that maybe this could take place. You also were in a very polarized time where, I’m sure, you get a lot of vitriol thrown at you, as any politician does these days, in a very polarized environment. What was it like for you in that moment, and what went through your mind as this was taking place?

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

It was a very scary moment. I mean, when you’re on the House floor, you think that this is the safest place to be. Frankly, in Washington, D.C., you also … I know that the House floor is a place where you can have very passionate divisive debates, but you do so in a respectful manner. The vitriol and the threat, unfortunately, were not new that day. It’s something that I certainly have faced, particularly when I stood up during the first impeachment.

I stood for the Constitution, the facts, the voters in this country, my district, and the president. The vitriol was significant. The number one trending topic across the country was Trashy Stefanik, and that was a smear. It was a sexist smear that Democrats regurgitated on social media, making it the number one trending topic. I think that we need to be very aware as elected officials and as leaders that our language matters.

I was also just extremely, extremely disheartened. Washington D.C. is a place that has hosted peaceful protests over the course of my lifetime and for many, many generations. I had constituents who came to Washington that day. They came peacefully. They peacefully participated standing up for election integrity, and they have those constitutional rights to do so. I’ve been very concerned with the media conflating all Trump supporters or Trump voters or attendees of the peaceful protest with the criminal actors that day.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

But, what was going through my mind was I can’t believe this is happening. This is unimaginable. Really praying for the American people, praying for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, praying for the Capitol police to make sure that they had the support that they needed.

Beverly:

I think a big question that so many are asking is when you have so many people in this country, over 70 million, who did vote for Donald Trump, who do have concerns about election integrity, who saw the violence and denounce it as well, I think a lot of them wonder, where do we go from here, especially in a Joe Biden presidency? What would you tell them as far as where the fight goes from here? Obviously, there’s going to be big legislative battles coming up. How are you preparing yourself for the two years that’s coming up?

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

I’m focused on representing my district. My district voted overwhelmingly to reelect President Trump, and I was proud to earn the highest percentage of votes of any Republican in the Northeast. That wasn’t just Republican voters. Those were Democrats and Independents who want to see results, who are frustrated with the far left proposals of bigger government, of shutdowns of local economy, of a Medicare for All takeover of healthcare, and of banning Second Amendment rights, for example, not having policies that adhere to the United States Constitution.

These are important issues that we need to discuss as Americans. Our conservative voices need to stand up and continue speaking out. The pressure that the cultural left is exerting, whether it’s through the big tech censorship or the cancellation of millions and millions of social media accounts, or the cancellation in wiping Parler off of Apple, that is not who we are as America. America should be a venue of robust discourse, of ideas and diversity of opinions, not silencing 70-plus million Americans who stood up for conservatism.

I know what I’m going to focus on is legislative results for my district, focusing on economic growth and economic investment so that we can support our small businesses, not make it harder for them after this particularly difficult year with the COVID pandemic. So, the safe reopening of schools, I think it’s really important for our students to learn in person. We’ve seen the impact that the remote learning has had on special needs students, students with disabilities, and students who are from nontraditional families, where it may be very difficult to have a parent at home helping them through that remote learning every single day. These issues are very serious issues. I am deeply concerned about, again, the big tech censorship, the brushing broad strokes of saying that the actions of the people that broke the law in the Capitol are representative of the 70-plus million Americans. They are not, and they have been widely condemned.

Beverly:

I know when it comes to cancel culture and silencing speech, you have experienced that yourself, even this week. Want to talk to you about your alma mater, Harvard, ousting you from their board. First of all, when did you first hear about it, and what was their reasoning? What did they say to you as the reason for this?

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

Well, first of all, I was proud to graduate from Harvard. I’m the first member of my immediate family to have the opportunity to graduate from college. When I was in undergrad, it was very clear that conservatives were definitely a slim minority. They’re even more of a slim minority today than they were when I was a student.

I heard of a petition that was being circulated, and, as you know, there are lots of petitions about all sorts of issues across this country. A petition pressuring the dean of the Harvard Kennedy School to remove me from the bipartisan board of Harvard Institute of Politics. Hundreds of people signed that petition. That’s no surprise. This is how cancel culture works. The reason I was told was because they didn’t like the floor speech that I gave on my decision to object to electors in four states, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin.

I was asked to resign voluntarily twice, and I said, “I’m not voluntarily resigning. This is unacceptable. Let me point out to you all the Democratic members who have chosen to object to electors of Republican presidents. In fact, in 2017, so right after President Trump’s first election, Democrat members of Congress objected to more states in the 2017 Electoral College votes than Republicans did in 2020. In addition, in 2005, Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor during the objection debate when Democratic members of Congress objected to the state of Ohio. In 2001, the entire Congressional Black Caucus objected to the electors from the state of Florida, objecting to President George W. Bush.

This is an example of being held to a different set of standards, but what is really sad is if you look at the makeup of the board of the Harvard Institute of Politics, it’s now 100% Joe Biden voters. I was the only person on the board that voted for President Trump and who actually has been on the ballot as a Republican. Now they have a totally monoculture approach, and the people that hurts the most are the students, the students who come from different backgrounds, who have a different perspective and deserve that robust debate to hear different sides and to foster critical thinking.

Beverly:

Yeah. I think when we look at what cancel culture is doing, it is trying to stop any type of productive debate, that disagreement somehow is violence, when that’s actually how we get our best ideas, when people can disagree and debate. And so, this leads me to what you’ve experienced. You talked about some of the sexist remarks that you have received based on what you did during impeachment. We also have a lot of Republican women coming into office this year. They called 2020 the year of the Republican woman. Do you think Republican women, conservative women, tend to face a lot more obstacles than even their male counterparts, purely because they don’t fall in line with whatever the liberal ideology is for most women?

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

Absolutely. I think, again, the media loves to raise up the stories and highlight in glossy women’s magazines the success of Democratic liberal women. They don’t acknowledge oftentimes the extraordinary success and cracking of glass ceilings of conservative women who are Republicans. In fact, when I launched my organization, E-PAC, to support Republican women running in the 2020 cycle, to try to increase our numbers, I was ridiculed by members of the media saying it was impossible by, of course, Democratic activists. But, I give credit to all of these amazing Republican women who raised their hands, stepped into the arena, worked hard to get their name on the ballot, and earn the support of their communities.

When the Democrats elected a historic class of women in 2018, I mean, it was in every magazine, the cover of Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Elle magazine. I have yet to see those features of these amazing women who are Republicans, as I said, breaking glass ceilings. We have two of the first Korean-American women, Michelle Steel and Young Kim. We have a Cherokee-American woman, Yvette Herrell, the first Iranian-American, Stephanie Bice, all Republicans who won really tough districts and will be tremendous voices for the country and for their communities.

Beverly:

What do you find is one of the biggest hurdles Republican women do face when deciding whether or not to run for office? Of course, it’s a big decision to decide to run. If there are women out there listening who are considering running in their own district, what would you say are some of those hurdles that they would have to be prepared for?

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

I think, number one, what’s interesting, because there’s so much vitriol on social media, I get a lot of questions when I talk to perspective candidates about putting their families through this and the negativity on social media the constant attack that far-left activists are really effective at. It’s tough on family members. It’s tough on children. It’s tough on spouses. It’s tough on elderly parents to see female candidates go through that. So, I think that’s one challenge. What I usually advise those women candidates is you need to have a conversation with your family on the front end. The most important support you will have in your life, in general, no matter what you do, is your family, so your spouse, your children, and your immediate family and community.

Another challenge is fundraising, and that was part of the mission of E-PAC, which was to provide financial support for those women candidates who make that step in the primary. And then, I think another challenge is just the media’s coverage. There’s such a double standard in terms of how the media covers conservative women versus, again, their fawning coverage, typically, of Democratic women. You can just see that all the time with how the media covers AOC versus how the media covers some of these newly elected Republican women.

Beverly:

Just final question for you, one of the questions I do like to ask women is how do they seem to do it all? Of course, we never do it all. It’s all a lot of work, and there are pros and cons, and we make concessions here and there. But, you are in the media. You run your district or serve your district very well. You’re outspoken. You look great doing it. What is a day in the life of Congresswoman Stefanik? Do you manage to get any sleep? That’s what I want to know.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

I am pretty good about getting sleep. I also really enjoy to read. I enjoy reading. That’s something that’s been important for me throughout my life since I was a little girl, something that my mom really cultivated in me. I would say having that support system of your family is extraordinarily important for any working woman, not just those in elected office or running for office.

I also think that remembering who you work for, that really has helped me as a guidepost in this job. I don’t work for members of the press. I work for my constituents in my district, and, ultimately, I stand on the ballot hoping to serve them. I think that has helped me, especially going into my fourth term, have a real North Star of serving as their voice in Washington, which there’s so much chatter and coverage. The pace of press is just really, really fast, faster than I think anyone ever anticipated it would be. Having that North Star of serving your constituents has really helped me tune out some of the very, very chaotic chatter that you hear from the cocktail chattering class in the Beltway.

For all the women who are listening, this is an incredible opportunity to run for office and serve your communities. It is very fulfilling. A lot of the most important work you do as a member of Congress doesn’t make headlines every day, but it is extraordinary to be able to have a positive impact. Whether it’s delivering veteran’s benefits, whether it’s moving legislation through, whether it’s delivering grant funding to your district, I just am grateful for the opportunity to serve, especially during these challenging times. I hope more women will step forward who share the principles of conservatism and the Republican Party.

Beverly:

Well, I know your district is appreciative of all the work that you do for them, but as a conservative woman, I’m thankful for the work that you do to represent conservative values and to do it so well. We thank you for all your work and also for your time today in joining us on She Thinks. Thank you so much.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

Thank you so much. We love the Independent Women’s Forum. This podcast is great. Thank you to all the listeners.

Beverly:

Thank you for joining us. Before you go, Independent Women’s Forum does want you to know that we rely on the generosity of supporters like you. Investment in IWF fuels our efforts to enhance freedom, opportunity, and wellbeing for all Americans. Please consider making a small donation to IWF by visiting IWF.org/donate. That is IWF.org/donate.

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