Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) was elected on Friday to chair the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest conservative caucus in the House, for the 119th Congress.
Pfluger, who had led the caucus’s energy-focused task force, ran for the role against Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.), who headed its budget task force.
The vote was 80-57, two sources told The Hill.
“[The Republican Study Committee] is going to play a really key role in all the things that are happening with the agenda that President Trump and our country basically mandated of our party,” Pfluger told The Hill.
“Honored to be able to lead it,” Pfluger said. “There’s a lot of work in front of us. But I think that what this organization has stood for for over 50 years is to be the conservative conscience of the Republican conference.”
The 51-year-old caucus has historically served to push GOP leadership in a conservative direction on policy. But in a sign that the group is perhaps more aligned with leadership than ever, all of the House GOP leadership — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) — were present and voting in the election, according to the group’s outgoing chair Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.).
Pfluger said that he hopes the caucus will be the “time-keeper” for pushing conservative policies through Congress as the GOP prepares to take total control of government under President-elect Trump.
“We know what President Trump is trying to accomplish. We know what we were elected to do,” Pfluger said. “I think it’s keeping us on time, keeping us on track, making sure that we follow through.”
Pfluger also said he expects many of the members of Trump’s Cabinet to come speak to the group, and “would love to have President Trump come speak to us.”
The Republican Study Committee chairmanship has historically been a launching pad for GOP leaders.j
Past RSC chairs include former Vice President Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Johnson, Scalise, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Sen.-elect Jim Banks (R-Ind.).
Hern was elected this week to a similar role, chair of the Republican Policy Committee, which is the No. 6 position in the House GOP leadership.
Hern said that both Pfluger and Cline were “top-tier” candidates for the role.
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) gave the nominating speech for Pfluger on Friday, while Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) did so for Cline, a source said.
A large part of Pfluger’s vision for the caucus that he pitched to its members was to expand its electoral activities, “reimagining” the focus on the House Conservatives Fund – the political action committee (PAC) that is affiliated with the RSC. A handout from Pfluger calls for taking fundraising for the group “to new heights,” hiring a full-time political director for the PAC, and providing financial support to vulnerable incumbents.
He also suggested creating a rapid response task force to react to news of the day.
