House Republican Conference

House Republican Conference
Part of	United States House of Representatives
House Speaker	Mike Johnson (LA)
Floor Leader	Steve Scalise (LA)
Floor Whip	Tom Emmer (MN)
Chair	Lisa McClain (MI)
Ideology	Conservatism
Political position	Center-right to right-wing
Affiliation	Republican Party
Colors	Red
Seats	218 / 435
Website
gop.gov
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The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings, and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The conference produces a daily publication of political analysis under the title Legislative Digest.

When the conference holds the majority of seats, it is usually led by the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives who is assisted on the floor by the House majority leader and the party's chief whip. When in the minority, it is led by the House minority leader, assisted by the chief whip. The conference has a chair who directs day-to-day operations and who is assisted by an elected vice chair and a secretary.

In the 118th Congress, the conference is led by Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, assisted by Majority Leader Steve Scalise (also of Louisiana), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer. The current chair is Lisa McClain of Michigan, who assumed the position .^[1][2] Former chairs include Gerald Ford, John Boehner, Mike Pence, John B. Anderson, Dick Cheney, Jack Kemp, J. C. Watts, Deborah D. Pryce, Adam Putnam, Jeb Hensarling, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Liz Cheney, Kevin McCarthy and Elise Stefanik. As a result of the 2024 elections, the party holds a narrow majority in the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress.

As of January 3, 2024, the conference leadership has been as follows:

• Mike Johnson (LA) as Speaker of the House (conference leader)
• Steve Scalise (LA) as House majority leader
• Tom Emmer (MN) as House majority whip
• Lisa McClain (MI) as chair of the House Republican Conference
• Blake Moore (UT) as vice chair of the House Republican Conference
• Erin Houchin (IN) as secretary of the House Republican Conference
• Kevin Hern (OK) as chair of the House Republican Policy Committee
• Richard Hudson (NC) as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee
• Guy Reschenthaler (PA) as House Republican chief deputy whip

Congress	Leader		District	Took office	Left office	House Speaker
36th		William Pennington (1796–1862)	New Jersey 5	February 1, 1860	March 3, 1861		Himself 1860–1861
37th		Galusha A. Grow (1823–1907)	Pennsylvania 14	July 4, 1861	March 4, 1863		Himself 1861–1863
38th		Schuyler Colfax (1823–1885)	Indiana 9	December 7, 1863	March 3, 1869[a]		Himself 1863–1869
39th
40th
40th		Theodore M. Pomeroy (1824–1905)	New York 24	March 3, 1869	March 4, 1869		Himself 1869
41st		James G. Blaine (1830–1893)	Maine 3	March 4, 1869	March 4, 1875		Himself 1869–1875
42nd
43rd
44th		George W. McCrary (1835–1890)	Iowa 1	March 4, 1875	March 3, 1877		Kerr 1875–1876
							Randall 1876–1881
45th		Eugene Hale (1836–1918)	Maine 5	March 4, 1877	March 4, 1879
46th		William P. Frye (1830–1911)	Maine 2	March 4, 1879	March 3, 1881
47th		J. Warren Keifer (1836–1932)	Ohio 8	December 5, 1881	March 4, 1883		Himself 1881–1883
48th		Joseph Gurney Cannon (1836–1926)	Illinois 15	March 4, 1883	March 3, 1889		Carlisle 1883–1889
49th
50th
51st		Thomas Brackett Reed (1839–1902)	Maine 1	December 4, 1889	March 3, 1891		Himself 1889–1891
52nd		Thomas J. Henderson (1824–1911)	Illinois 7	March 4, 1891	March 3, 1895		Crisp 1891–1895
53rd
54th		Thomas Brackett Reed (1839–1902)	Maine 1	December 2, 1895	March 4, 1899		Himself 1895–1899
55th
56th		David B. Henderson (1840–1906)	Iowa 3	December 4, 1899	March 4, 1903		Himself 1899–1903
57th
58th		Joseph Gurney Cannon (1836–1926)	Illinois 18	November 9, 1903	March 4, 1911		Himself 1903–1911
59th
60th
61st
62nd		James Robert Mann (1856–1922)	Illinois 2	March 4, 1911	March 3, 1919		Clark 1911–1919
63rd
64th
65th
66th		Frederick H. Gillett (1851–1935)	Massachusetts 2	May 19, 1919	March 3, 1925		Himself 1919–1925
67th
68th
69th		Nicholas Longworth (1869–1931)	Ohio 1	December 7, 1925	March 4, 1931		Himself 1925–1931
70th
71st
72nd		Bertrand Snell (1870–1958)	New York 31	March 4, 1931	January 3, 1939		Garner 1931–1933
73rd							Rainey 1933–1934
74th							Byrns 1935–1936
							Bankhead 1936–1940
75th
76th		Joseph W. Martin Jr. (1884–1968)	Massachusetts 14	January 3, 1939	January 3, 1959
							Rayburn 1940–1947
77th
78th
79th
80th							Himself 1947–1949
81st							Rayburn 1949–1953
82nd
83rd							Himself 1953–1955
84th							Rayburn 1955–1961
85th
86th		Charles A. Halleck (1900–1986)	Indiana 2	January 3, 1959	January 3, 1965
87th
							McCormack 1962–1971
88th
89th		Gerald Ford (1913–2006)	Michigan 5	January 3, 1965	December 6, 1973[a]
90th
91st
92nd							Albert 1971–1977
93rd
93rd		John Jacob Rhodes (1916–2003)	Arizona 1	December 7, 1973	January 3, 1981
94th
95th							O'Neill 1977–1987
96th
97th		Robert H. Michel (1923–2017)	Illinois 18	January 3, 1981	January 3, 1995
98th
99th
100th							Wright 1987–1989
101st
101st							Foley 1989–1995
102nd
103rd
104th		Newt Gingrich (born 1943)	Georgia 6	January 3, 1995	January 3, 1999[b]		Himself 1995–1999
105th
106th		Dennis Hastert (born 1942)	Illinois 14	January 6, 1999	January 3, 2007		Himself 1999–2007
107th
108th
109th
110th		John Boehner (born 1949)	Ohio 8	January 3, 2007	October 29, 2015[b]		Pelosi 2007–2011
111th
112th							Himself 2011–2015
113th
114th
114th		Paul Ryan (born 1970)	Wisconsin 1	October 29, 2015	January 3, 2019		Himself 2015–2019
115th
116th		Kevin McCarthy (born 1965)	California 23	January 3, 2019	October 3, 2023[c]		Pelosi 2019–2023
117th
118th			California 20				Himself 2023
118th	Vacant			October 3, 2023	October 25, 2023		McHenry[d] 2023
118th		Mike Johnson (born 1972)	Louisiana 4	October 25, 2023	Incumbent		Himself 2023–present
119th

The conference chair is elected each Congress.^[3]

The vice chair is next in rank after the House Republican Conference Chair. Like the chair, the vice chair is elected by a vote of all Republican House members before each Congress. Among other duties, the vice chair has a seat on both the Steering and Policy Committees.^[4]

• Robert Stafford of Vermont (1971)
• Samuel L. Devine of Ohio (1971–1979)
• Jack Edwards of Alabama (1979–1985)
• Lynn Morley Martin of Illinois (1985–1989)
• Bill McCollum of Florida (1989–1995)
• Susan Molinari of New York (1995–1997)
• Jennifer Dunn of Washington (1997–1999)
• Tillie Fowler of Florida (1999–2001)
• Deborah Pryce of Ohio (2001–2003)
• Jack Kingston of Georgia (2003–2007)
• Kay Granger of Texas (2007–2009)
• Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington (2009–2013)
• Lynn Jenkins of Kansas (2013–2017)
• Doug Collins of Georgia (2017–2019)
• Mark Walker of North Carolina (2019–2021)
• Mike Johnson of Louisiana (2021–2023)
• Blake Moore of Utah (2023–present)

• House Democratic Caucus

• Republican Conference