Representative has become his most powerful ally in Congress – and her name is frequently mentioned as a potential running mate

As Donald Trump aggressively fights multiple legal and political threats, New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik has become his most powerful ally in Congress in key ways by echoing Trump’s dangerous falsehoods and pushing outlandish conspiracy theories around the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

To bolster Trump, Stefanik has mimicked Trump’s calling convicted January 6 prisoners “hostages”, declined in a TV interview to say she would certify the 2024 election in advance, and filed ethics complaints against two judges overseeing cases against Trump or his allies.

Stefanik’s emergence as a major Trump cheerleader has sparked sharp criticism from historians, ex-Republican members and Democrats for fueling election denialism and disinformation which weaken democracy. But it has earned Stefanik a notable distinction: her name is frequently mentioned as Trump’s potential 2024 running mate.

“She scares me in several ways,” said Harvard government professor Steven Levitsky, the co-author of How Democracies Die. “Stefanik appears to be willing to go down Trump’s authoritarian path wholeheartedly.”