In an effort to bolster her position in the US House of Representatives, Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is planning to launch a monumental $100 million guerrilla warfare-style campaign to counteract the Democrat’s seemingly inevitable takeover of New York.
Recently, a state-level power shift to the left has prompted fears that the federal representation for the Empire State may soon be falling into the hands of Democratic supermajorities. In response, Stefanik is hoping to define a strategy to protect her office, as well as other Republicans in the state.
The ambitious, yet vaguely defined plan is to use the $100 million to send out a barrage of digital and printed advertisements throughout the region, focusing specifically on the upstate region that Stefanik represents. It is estimated that this strategy will extend from the beginning of 2021 through the 2022 midterms.
The advertisements are expected to include catchphrases and hashtags, such as ‘#RallyForElise’. They will span the online realm, television, outdoor display, and of course radio. Politico has called the potential strategy “the most expensive effort to oppose Democrats in New York in recent history”.
The campaign will be funded and coordinated by a mix of President Trump’s political action committee and a special-interest group. Although its success remains to be seen, the $100 million effort is very much reality. Both the supporters and detractors of the plan believe its implications could create ripples throughout the US political landscape.
In the wake of her colleagues in the House opting not to fight for their politically vulnerable districts, Stefanik’s sense of loyalty and ambition may be her only hope for longterm survival. Without an obvious counter strategy, the New York’s Republicans face an uphill battle.
Whether Representative Stefanik’s supposed campaign will reach its full potential or even make any moves at all remains to be seen. The rumors of her plans may be true, but until the money and resources are actually established it is difficult to view the plan as any more than a purported strategy.
It is unclear whether Representative Stefanik’s guerrilla warfare-style plan will help keep her power intact in the next election, but she is certainly taking vast efforts to attempt to restore GOP representation to the state of New York.