'Valuable asset': This NY GOP rep is now 'really important' to Trump after once opposing his policies

United States Representative Elise Stefanik's (R-NY) upstate New York district was Democratically led for over two decades before she was elected in 2015.

The chair of the House Republican Conference has managed over the years to capture the attention of former President Donald Trump, which The Messenger reports has made "her an important carrier of the MAGA message," and "a valuable asset on the campaign trail," according to Trump allies.

"She understands her voter, and from my perspective, the purple district Trump supporter is among the most important," a long-time Trump ally told the news outlet. "I think she's really important to the national movement, because she's figured it out."

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The Messenger notes Stefanik's appeal with allies of the MAGA hopeful comes as Trump weighs options for the role of his vice president.

The New York lawmaker most recently hit Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over Trump's civil fraud trial, with an ethic complaint claiming he has shown "inappropriate bias and judicial intemperance," and she also officially endorsed the ex-president, calling him "the leader of the Republican party."

Stefanik told the news outlet she believes it's her responsibility to "fight back against the 'unprecedented weaponization of the government' against Trump, which she called 'un-American, dangerous, and unconstitutional."

However, The Messenger notes the New York lawmaker's "coziness to Trump is a far cry from her early skepticism and criticism of him when he entered the presidential primary fold in 2016. She was critical of Trump's comments about women and controversial statements on Muslims, and even once pushed back against Trump's key policy proposals, including the border wall he promised."

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The Messenger's full report is here.