On May 14, House Republicans voted to elevate Rep. Elise Stefanik to the number-three leadership position of conference chair, CNN.com reported.
The development happened after the party, on May 12, ousted U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney from the role because she repeatedly called out former President Donald Trump's "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was stolen.
Stefanik, a high-profile defender of Trump, faced a conservative challengerGOP Rep. Chip Roy. However, his candidacy was considered a long shot, and the New York congresswoman had the backing of House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Trump.
Interestingly, while Stefanikwho is considered a more moderate Republicanhas made a name for herself as an ardent Trump supporter in recent years, that wasn't always the case. In 2015, 2016 and the early days of his term in office, she criticized Trump on various issues.