Former House Speaker and Republican voice Newt Gingrich gave a plug to House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as a potential running mate for GOP front-runner and former President Donald Trump, saying she should be on any "short list" for vice president.
Gingrich made the comments during a speech Wednesday at the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, to honor the 111th birthday of the 37th president.
Gingrich said he is a "big fan" of Stefanik, who was lauded for her appearance on "Meet the Press" last Sunday, during which she also said she'd be "honored to serve in the next Trump administration."
"I absolutely believe that she has sort of fought her way onto the national stage, and I hope that she will continue to grow and develop, and certainly, my advice to the president would certainly be to consider her on whatever short list he develops for potential vice presidential nominees," Gingrich said.
Stefanik said Sunday that she speaks to Trump "frequently."
"I'm not going to get into the content of my conversation with President Trump," Stefanik told NBC News. "We need to make sure that President Trump is in the strongest position to win in the general election. That's what I've been focused on, and that's what I'm going to remain focused on."
Stefanik is also coming off the national spotlight for asking the question during antisemitism hearings on Capitol Hill last month that led to the resignation of two Ivy League presidents.
When Stefanik asked if calling for the genocide of Jews would be considered hate speech on the campuses of Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and MIT, all three presidents said, in some fashion, that it would be a context-based decision.
Penn president Liz Magill and Harvard president Claudine Gay have since resigned amid the fallout.
"I'm a very big fan of Elise's. Certainly, if there is a short list for vice president, she should be on it," Gingrich said.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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