PLATTSBURGH — As speculation mounts over whether North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik will be chosen as Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate for the 2024 election, a longtime local political observer says her rise in politics would be a big plus for the region.
“Picking Stefanik for the vice-presidency would really put the North Country on the political map and our area is sure to be blanketed with stories examining the terrain that gave rise to the political phenomenon that is Stefanik,” Dr. Harvey L. Schantz, professor of political science at SUNY Plattsburgh, said.
“This is a tremendous boost to a non-metropolitan area so far away from the major media markets and the early presidential primaries.”
Schantz has been observing local, state and national politics for more than four decades. He predicted Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) could have a chance to go far in politics when she first ran for Congress in the 21st District in 2014.
At that time, he said, “Elise Stefanik has gained instant celebrity status in the political world,” and that it would, “Likely lead to the ‘Media Spotlight’ on the district.”
Now, a decade later, Schantz’s observations appear to be on the mark.
“Although I said it then, and I meant it, Stefanik’s success is far more than I could have imagined at the time, and while she has her local supporters and detractors, her rise in politics is surely a success story and teaches us that rural America can still produce leading political figures,” he said.
INSIGHTS
A Stefanik selection to run as Trump’s vice president candidate would provide insights into how people view the American public and New York State as well, Schantz said.
“For the country it means that the Democratic Party is the only countervailing force to the MAGA movement and Stefanik’s selection will make people across the country realize that New York state is more than just New York City and that not all New Yorkers are liberal,” he said.
Schantz said Stefanik will have earned Trump’s vice-presidential bid because she has been tirelessly defending Trump in Congress and elsewhere for years and she has enthusiastically supported Trump’s presidential campaign.
“This is a lot more than other vice-presidential running mates ordinarily do for the presidential candidates who select them, for usually running mates are picked only after the president has won the nomination,” he said.
Stefanik, now 39, was at the time of her election the youngest women ever elected to Congress when she won her first term in 2014 at the age of 29. Schantz said she will appeal to certain segments of voters.
“Stefanik widens the demographic appeal of Trump’s presidential ticket by offering female and youthful leadership, while at the same time reinforcing Trump’s rural and ideological appeals. She also provides Trump with a running mate who is a proven cross-country fundraiser and campaigner,” Schantz said.
“The chief weakness of Stefanik as a running mate is that she reinforces Trump’s political ideology rather than broadening his ideological viewpoints.”