Harvard government professor Steven Levitsky, who co-wrote the 2018 book “How Democracies Die,” has explained his concerns about potential Donald Trump running mate Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).
Stefanik “scares me in several ways” and “appears to be willing to go down Trump’s authoritarian path wholeheartedly,” Levitsky told The Guardian in a story that was published Tuesday.
Stefanik has promoted Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy theories and refused to say whether she will accept the results of the 2024 vote, which may see Republican front-runner Trump taking on President Joe Biden for a second time.
“Accepting the results of elections is the cardinal rule of democracy,” said Levitsky. “She’s going down Trump’s path of election denialism.”
“She’s smart, politically savvy and skilled, unlike Trump,” he added. “The most dangerous autocrats like [Hungary’s] Orbán and [Turkey’s] Erdoğan are politically skilled. Stefanik has shown signs she has some of those skills.”
Stefanik has said she would be “honored” to serve “in any capacity” in a second Trump administration. When Trump was asked in December if Stefanik could be a contender, he reportedly nodded and said, “She’s a killer.”
Others reportedly in contention for the Trump vice presidential candidate role include far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
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