Below is a note from FNC’s Chad Pergram (note the highlighted in red)
Urgent: House GOP taps Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) as conference chair
The House Republican Conference has tapped Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) as Conference Chair over Rep. Tom Price (R-GA).
The race for Conference Chair, the number four position in the House Republican leadership was viewed as a proxy war by some between battling wings of the GOP.
Many staunch conservatives preferred Price as he used to head the Republican Study Committee, the most-conservative bloc of GOPers in the House. Meantime, others in the party wanted to “diversify,” especially after last week’s election and how Republicans faired with women and minorities. Thus, those members preferred McMorris Rodgers in an effort to elevate a woman.
McMorris Rodgers will be the only woman to formally serve in the House GOP leadership.
In additon, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) backed Price. This result could be read by some as the first repudiation of the Ryan “brand” after last week’s election where he served on a losing ticket with Mitt Romney.
Chad Pergram
FOX News
Senior Producer for Capitol Hill
