Elise Stefanik Drops Endorsement of Craig Riedel Over Trump Comments

Political activist Charlie Kirk obtained audio of Mr. Riedel’s comments and circulated it on social media.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) speaks at a press conference following a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 16, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chair of the House Republican Conference, said she’s withdrawing her endorsement of GOP Ohio congressional candidate Craig Riedel over remarks he made about former President Donald Trump that she described as “inappropriate.”

Mr. Riedel, a former state representative who’s now running for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, received a series of endorsements from GOP leaders over the summer, including from Ms. Stefanik.

“I am incredibly thankful to have earned the support of Speaker McCarthy, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, and Chairwoman Stefanik,“ Mr. Riedel said in a July 24 statement, in which he said he looked forward to working with the Republican leadership in Congress ”to ensure that we can protect our traditional American values, protect the Second Amendment, and get our economy moving again.”

At the time, Ms. Stefanik said she was giving Mr. Riedel her “complete and total endorsement,” while calling him the “conservative fighter we need” to expand the Republican majority in the House.

However, Ms. Stefanik has now withdrawn her endorsement after an audio tape surfaced of Mr. Riedel calling President Trump “arrogant” and vowing not to endorse him for president in 2024.

“Earlier this week, I informed Craig Riedel (OH-09) that I will be withdrawing my endorsement,” she said in a statement on X. “I was very disappointed in his inappropriate comments regarding President Trump.”

Her focus, she said, is on helping nominate the strongest candidates on the ballot who are also committed to electing President Trump in his comeback bid for the White House.

Neither Mr. Riedel nor his campaign responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.

‘Different Direction’

Ms. Stefanik’s withdrawal of her endorsement for Mr. Riedel is the first from GOP House leadership, with the emergence of the audio coming as a surprise to many Republicans.

Political activist Charlie Kirk obtained the audio and circulated it on social media on Dec. 8.

“Look, Donald Trump, he’s a different person than me,” Mr. Riedel said in the recording of a conversation between him and conservative donor Alan Jacoby. “I don’t like the way he communicates. I think he is arrogant. I don’t like the way he calls people names. I just don’t think that’s very becoming of a president.”