Stefanik: Broken or Built This Way

Elise Stefanik - The Red Queen

Jun 08, 2025

What the F’king Hell Is Happening?

There is literally so much, “I don’t f’king believe it” happening in our wonderful America right now that choosing what to write about feels almost impossible. Referring to our country as the United States right now feels wrong in my heart as I watch our own government trying to shatter that union.

That man in the White House is ordering our soldiers to attack their own people.
- AP News – Armed ICE Raids in LA
Our LGBTQ+ citizens are having to deal with being erased, yet again.
West Virginia lawmaker warns women who miscarry may be charged with murder.
- CNN – Miscarriage Could Lead to Charges
Citizens and legal residents are being arrested, detained, starved, and shipped off to Third World countries and prisons.

It’s enough to shrivel one’s soul, enough to bring you to your knees and make you cry for the people and the freedoms fought and died for. Enough, to break your heart.

I watched a video of a Black Hawk helicopter landing in California, with personnel unloading what appeared to be weaponry. Even more disturbing, the reporter covering the story giggled as he described the scene as 'amazing.' Watching him laugh while imagining those weapons used against civilians turned my stomach.

Breaking News ABC Live Video

Betrayal in NY-21

And here, in NY21, our own Congresswoman has chosen a path of betrayal to her District.

Once a moderate Republican, Elise Stefanik has chosen to emulate the extreme authoritarian playbook of Donald Trump. A man by the way she used to openly speak against. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Stefanik reportedly told CNN that she didn’t like Trump’s tone:

“Unfortunately, it’s tapping into the fear today of our security situation. …
I think we should expect more substance out of our candidates.”

Early in 2015, she spoke candidly about his treatment of women and how it was hurting the image of the Republican Party and the country. In 2016, she reiterated this sentiment when the Access Hollywood Tapes came out. She posted on social Media:

“Donald Trump’s inappropriate, offensive comments are just wrong -
No matter when he said them or whatever the context.”

(This quote was taken from her post on her Facebook page, which has since been removed.)

Notably, any Facebook posts referencing Trump from 2016 to 2018 no longer appear on her page. Whether they were removed for political expedience or other reasons is unclear.

In 2019, she voted yes on H RES 271, the Condemning the Trump Administration's Legal Campaign to Take Away Americans' Health Care Bill. She was one of only eight Republicans to vote yes. This was trumps attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. But that, my friends, was the last time she stood against him. Less than a year later, she voted no on H RES 826, the Condemning the Trump Administration's Legal Campaign to Take Away Americans' Health Care Bill and identical resolution.

Vote Smart, Key Votes on Health Care.

Since then, she has gone all in—mirroring not only his policies, but also his style of communication, grievance politics, and disregard for accountability.

The Woman I Met

I remember Elise Stefanik when she was first elected. I actually met her at a function held by her team shortly after she took office. She was young, approachable, and unapologetically bipartisan. She wanted to get things done—and she seemed to understand that reaching across the aisle and working together was the only real way to make headway.

In a July 2015 interview on C-SPAN, Stefanik spoke about the importance of being a role model for young women—not just Republican women, but all women. She mentioned playing on the Congressional Women’s Softball Team as a way to build relationships across party lines. And more importantly—and more sadly—she emphasized that the most important part of her job was looking out for her constituents in NY-21.

Back then, she said her day began with reading all the news and stories coming out of the district so she could stay grounded in what mattered to the people she represented.

I wonder if she ever asks herself what happened to that eager, compassionate, bipartisan young woman.

A Conversation with Freshman Representative Elise Stefanik, R-NY

Is She Even Watching?

I also wonder if she still follows any of the media sources in NY21. Did she see the following headlines?

Warren County Head Start Could Shut Down this Month Amid Federal Funding Delay (YouTube)
Trump's 'skinny' budget would cut these major North Country programs (North Country Radio)
Programs on the chopping block include the Northern Border Regional Commission, heating assistance for low-income residents, rural airport subsidies, opioid response funding, and affordable housing programs. (North Country Public Radio
Preparing for the pain of possible mid-year budget cuts in New York (Spectrum News)
More programs being cut or reduced are Health Care, Construction & Transportation, and Education

These are programs that make a real difference in the lives of Stefanik’s constituents—programs that help people stay in their homes, put meals on the table, keep warm through the winter, and remain employed. They’re not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are the backbone of small rural communities—what keeps them vibrant, relevant, and stable.

While Stefanik is off being a mouthpiece for Trump, echoing talking points about a “weaponized government,” “border chaos,” and “groomers in education,” the people she represents are worried about food, shelter, and health care. They don’t need culture war distractions—they need support. And they’re not getting it from their representative.

What Broke This Woman?

I keep coming back to the question: What broke this woman? What happened around 2019 or 2020 that didn’t just nudge her across the political line—but sent her full tilt into becoming the Red Queen?

Today, Elise Stefanik wields the GOP’s preferred weapon—DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender)—like a finely tuned scalpel. Gone is the approachable young congresswoman. She no longer smiles. There is no joy. She slices and dices any perceived enemy with rhetorical precision.

Read more on DARVO in my post on Grooming the Nation

Some say she got tired of waiting her turn, tired of being the smart girl who wasn’t invited to the boys’ club of Republican power. Others say this was always who she was, and she simply waited for the right moment to unleash the kraken, so to speak.

Me? I think something horrible happened—something that forced her to choose between failure and revenge. And once she chose revenge, she set about rebuilding herself piece by piece into someone who could not only survive in the modern GOP, but dominate it. Someone who will—when the moment is right—collect her payment.

And if she succeeds in her ultimate goal, which I believe is to become President of the United States?

Woe to those who crossed her on her way to the top.

Aiming for Albany

Word on the street is that Elise Stefanik is considering a run for New York State Governor. She’s fresh off being sent home like a schoolgirl—told to behave, to stay in line, to wait her turn. And now, she’s raring to rebel without quite rebelling. Think about it: a state-level position takes her out from under Trump’s thumb, at least partially. No more waiting for permission. No more GOP old boys’ club keeping her in her place. If she flips New York red? She gets the credit—and the power.

It’s a perfect move for her.
Not so perfect for New Yorkers.

While Stefanik hasn’t made a formal announcement, she’s already launched a new fundraising committee called Elise New York Victory, with the tagline: FIRE Hochul and FLIP New York RED.

· Elise, New York Victory

That tagline gives her all the cover she needs to raise money and spend it however she sees fit. As long as she can tie it back to “defeating Hochul,” she can use the funds to build infrastructure, grow her brand, and pave her own path to a higher office. It's calculated. It’s vague by design. Likewise, it gives her room to pivot if needed—and, as always, it keeps her safely out of reach of accountability.

Whatever happened to her—to that young woman I once met, eager and bipartisan—
I’m sorry for it. Truly. But that doesn’t change what she’s become.

We’ve all seen how she operates now: hateful propaganda, rhetorical violence, absolute thinking, personal attacks, no ethics, no emotion, and no compassion.

What New York Really Needs

New York doesn’t need that in a governor.
We don’t need someone who wants to eliminate public education.
We don’t need someone who fails to understand the role immigrants play in keeping our economy alive.
We don’t need someone who throws in her lot with a man New York already sent packing.
We don’t need someone who fuels her soul with vengeance and hate—we have that in the Oval Office. And today, that person has mobilized the military against Americans.

Maybe the person we need isn’t Hochul. But whoever it is, they need to lead with morals, with character, and with understanding.

What New York needs is a leader of the people—not the party, not the money. Just the people.