HOUSE Republicans selected New York Representative Elise Stefanik yesterday  to fill the leadership post recently occupied by Liz Cheney,  replacing a harsh critic of former president Donald Trump with a lawmaker who has become one of his staunchest defenders.

The vote capped a tumultuous week for the party, which has established support for Mr Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election as a defining issue, and those who challenge his falsehoods have found themselves exiled.

Ms Stefanik moved quickly to lock down support for the number three spot in House Republican leadership when it became clear last week that Ms Cheney would lose the job because she continued to challenge Mr Trump’s unfounded assertion that the election was stolen, and to blame him for inciting the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Ms Stefanik has pitched herself as a unifying candidate who will focus on pushing the House Republican message and on attacking the Biden administration’s policies, while standing by Mr Trump.

“I know first hand the discipline and message it takes to fight back against the biased national media and the entire Democrat and far-left infrastructure,” Ms Stefanik said in a letter to colleagues officially announcing her candidacy.

She faced opposition to her candidacy from conservatives who argued her record was too moderate. After being elected in 2014, Ms Stefanik established herself as one of the more bipartisan members and opposed Mr Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and some of his environmental policies.

Her defence of Mr Trump in the lead-up to his first impeachment trial and subsequent support of the former president won her the backing of House Republican leaders and Mr Trump, making her the lead candidate to replace Ms Cheney.

“We need someone in leadership who has experience flipping districts from blue to red as we approach the important 2022 mid-terms, and that’s Elise! She knows how to win, which is what we need!” Mr Trump said in a statement on Monday. (© Washington Post)