Jan 25, 2016 — We're already deep in the new political season with the first votes in the presidential contest coming soon in Iowa and New Hampshire. Before we pivot completely to the campaign ahead, we're taking a look back at the first year in office for North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

Stefanik is a newcomer to the region, having moved to Willsboro just ahead of the 2014 campaign. She's been in office for just a little more than twelve months. She's spent a lot of time traveling the district and doing outreach. She's also managed to navigate some turbulent political waters in Washington.

But some critics still have questions about her votes and her political loyalties.

Halfway through her first term

Just over a year ago, Elise Stefanik took the oath in Washington becoming the North Country’s newest and perhaps most surprising political force. A newcomer to North Country politics, Stefanik dominated the 2014 congressional race. She then arrived in Washington during a period of extraordinary turmoil and political rancor. 

John Boehner was pressured out of the House Speakership by conservative Republicans. But speaking with North Country Public Radio, Stefanik said she thinks lawmakers were still able to get a lot done. "Some examples that I'm very proud of are the multi-year highway bill, getting five years of a highway bill that's fully paid for, that hasn't been done for more than decade," she said.

Stefanik noted that one measure would mean significant spending on infrastructure in the North Country, but could also benefit jobs in the Plattsburgh area, where bus and rail-car manufacturers hope to win public transit contracts funded through the measure.

Stefanik also pointed to the wider budget deal hashed out by lawmakers, which included an end to the "sequestration" cuts that affected military spending. During the 2014 campaign, she promised to fight hard to remove those spending limits, which she described as "very detrimental potentially to Fort Drum."  

Aiming for bipartisanship?

Stefanik said she feels like she struck a good balance of bipartisanship, which was one of the things she promised during her first campaign. And she thinks the election of a new House Speaker, her old boss Paul Ryan, has changed the tone in Congress. "He's gotten positive feedback from members of congress from both parties, who feel more empowered that they can go back to being legislators, rather than the rancor and the fighting," Stefanik said. 

Not everyone thinks Stefanik’s votes landed squarely in the middle. She voted repeatedly to dismantle parts of the Obamacare health program. Democrats blasted her for voting repeatedly to defund Planned Parenthood. 

Two of the region’s big newspapers, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and the Glens Falls Post Star blasted Stefanik for voting to weaken clean air regulations designed to clean up coal-fired power plants in the Midwest and reduce carbon pollution. The Enterprise wrote that if you moved to the Adirondacks because of the clean air and water, the Park’s new congresswoman is "not your friend." The Post Star wrote that her pollution vote "raises questions about Stefanik’s allegiance to her constituents." 

Asked about those editorials, Stefanik rejected their argument flat-out. "If you look at my record, it's very clear that the promises I made when I was campaigning have been kept," she said. She said she has been transparent and has been a "constant presence" in the twelve counties of the district. She said her record shows bipartisanship. "I have been there to bring common sense governance," she added.

What about her Republican Party?

One of the dynamics complicating Stefanik’s first year in office is that it comes at a time when her party, the GOP, has stumbled further into internal disarray. It is often not about battles with Democrats. It’s fights among Republicans grabbing headlines, and the biggest headline-grabber of them all is another New Yorker, Donald Trump.

Speaking with NCPR, Stefanik said she doesn't think "Donald Trump will be the nominee" at the top of the GOP ticket. "I don't agree with everything that every candidate has said. I've certainly pointed out certain statements by Mr. Trump, especially related to not allowing Muslims into the country. I don't think that's who we are. That's not according to our constitutional principles," she added.

Pivoting to the campaign in a strong position

Despite some political crosswinds and some lingering questions from the region’s editorial writers, Stefanik ends this first full year in Congress having established herself as a political force. The youngest woman ever elected to the House has moved with confidence, avoiding big freshman mistakes. 

She is also in a strong position as this next election gets underway. She has a big campaign war chest and she’s expected to face a divided opposition once again, with Democrats and the Green Party both likely to run candidates.