House Republicans plan to meet privately next week — probably Wednesday — and seem certain to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., from that top post.
Conservatives in and out of Congress are expressing opposition to Rep. Elise Stefanik ’s rise toward House Republicans’ No.3 leadership job, grumbling that is unlikely to derail her but serves notice that the right wing is battling again to affect the party’s future. House Republicans plan to meet privately next week — probably Wednesday — and seem certain to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., from that top post. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., seems likely to postpone a vote on replacing Cheney until sometime later, according to two House GOP aides who discussed the delay on condition of anonymity, giving restive conservatives a chance to coalesce behind an alternative. It’s unlikely any challenger would defeat Stefanik, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, McCarthy and No.2 House GOP leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. That triumvirate — especially the former president, whose grip on the party seems as firm as ever — virtually assures victory for Stefanik,36, a onetime Trump critic who evolved into his strident ally. But with the hard right distrustful of Stefanik, owner of one of the House GOP’s most moderate voting records, conservatives say forcing her to face a challenge would signal she’s not universally accepted and will have to contend with them moving forward. “We must not rush into a de-facto coronation of any handpicked replacement whose voting record does not reflect the views of the conference,” first-term conservative Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said in a statement. “We must select someone who will wholeheartedly support the conservative membership.” Good said Republicans should be allowed to “work through the process” of replacing Cheney. The conservative Club for Growth, wary of Stefanik’s past opposition to tax cuts and easing environmental regulations, is also pushing for time so a Stefanik rival can emerge, a view Republicans say is widely shared among conservatives.
