Elise Stefanik Is Trump’s Pick for United Nations Ambassador — Let’s Look at Her Net Worth
Elise Stefanik is a lifelong Republic and is the youngest woman elected to Congress.
Published Jan. 22 2025, 9:27 a.m. ET
In November 2024, then-President-elect Donald Trump began a swift rollout of potential cabinet picks. Some of his appointees made more sense than others, like Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state. He has since been confirmed. Other selections were a bit more baffling, like Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense. While he does have military experience, he was the host of a weekend show on Fox News at the time of his appointment. He is also mired in controversy.
Not all of the cabinet positions are as flashy as secretary of state or defense, but that doesn't make them less important. The United Nations Ambassador is a role that requires a degree of level-headedness as well as an ability to negotiate without issue. For this position, Trump selected Elise Stefanik. It's not a flashy job so the pay won't be astronomical. Let's take a look at her net worth to see if that matters.
Elise Stefanik's net worth is relatively modest.
According to OpenSecrets, Elise had a net worth of about $282,007 in 2018 with Newsweek reporting she had "up to $796,000 in assets and four liabilities totaling between $410,003 and $865,000." She is a Congresswoman who has represented New York’s 21st District since 2014. She was born and raised in Upstate New York where Elise worked for her family's small business before heading off to college.
Elise Stefanik
Politician, Congresswoman
Net worth: $282,007
Elise Stefanik is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 21st congressional district.
Birth date: July 2, 1984
Birth place: Albany, N.Y.
Birth name: Elise Marie Stefanik
Father: Kenneth Stefanik
Mother: Melanie Stefanik
Marriages: Matthew Manda (m. 2017)
Children: Samuel Albritton Manda (b. Aug. 27, 2021)
Education: Albany Academy for Girls (2002); Harvard College (2006)
After graduating with honors from Harvard, Elise became the first person in her immediate family to finish college. She immediately began working as an aide to George W. Bush during the last half of his second term and followed that up by working for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee.
Per Vox, she also she "helped craft the [Republican] party’s platform in 2012 and worked as director of new media for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s presidential exploratory committee. She also worked for conservative think tanks Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Foreign Policy Initiative." When she was elected in 2014, Elise became the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress.
Elise Stefanik's husband works at a trade association for firearms manufacturers.
In August 2017, Elise married Matthew Manda in a ceremony officiated by Jan Plumadore, a retired New York State Supreme Court justice, per The New York Times. The then 34-year-old Matthew was a marketing and communications director at Media Group of America, which owns and operates the media outlet Independent Journal Review. Like his spouse, Matthew also worked in politics as communications director for Representative Kevin Yoder and political director for the 2010 campaign for Senator Jerry Moran.
As of March 2022, the Times Union reports that Matthew works as the manager of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Their mission statement promises "to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and the shooting sports." The couple has one son, Samuel Albritton Manda, who was born Aug. 27, 2021. Elise announced his arrival via a post on X, stating their hearts were "bursting with joy."