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Wikipedia / House Republican Conference

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 119th Congress, the conference is led by Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer. The current chair is Lisa McClain of Michigan, who assumed the position in 2024. Former chairs include Gerald Ford, John Boehner, Mike Pence, John Bayard Anderson, Dick Cheney, Jack Kemp, 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.

Current hierarchy

As of April 16, 2026, the conference leadership has been as follows:

Leaders of the House Republican Conference

Congress

Leader

District

Took office

Left office

House Speaker

36th

William Pennington

New Jersey 5

Himself

37th

Galusha A. Grow

Pennsylvania 14

Himself

38th

Schuyler Colfax

Indiana 9

Himself

39th

40th

40th

Theodore M. Pomeroy

New York 24

Himself

41st

James G. Blaine

Maine 3

Himself

42nd

43rd

44th

George W. McCrary

Iowa 1

Kerr

Randall

45th

Eugene Hale

Maine 5

46th

William P. Frye

Maine 2

47th

J. Warren Keifer

Ohio 8

Himself

48th

Joseph Gurney Cannon

Illinois 15

Carlisle

49th

50th

51st

Thomas Brackett Reed

Maine 1

Himself

52nd

Thomas J. Henderson

Illinois 7

Crisp

53rd

54th

Thomas Brackett Reed

Maine 1

Himself

55th

56th

David B. Henderson

Iowa 3

Himself

57th

58th

Joseph Gurney Cannon

Illinois 18

Himself

59th

60th

61st

62nd

James Robert Mann

Illinois 2

Clark

63rd

64th

65th

66th

Frederick H. Gillett

Massachusetts 2

Himself

67th

68th

69th

Nicholas Longworth

Ohio 1

Himself

70th

71st

72nd

Bertrand Snell

New York 31

Garner

73rd

Rainey

74th

Byrns

Bankhead

75th

76th

Joseph W. Martin Jr.

Massachusetts 14

Rayburn

77th

78th

79th

80th

Himself

81st

Rayburn

82nd

83rd

Himself

84th

Rayburn

85th

86th

Charles A. Halleck

Indiana 2

87th

McCormack

88th

89th

Gerald Ford

Michigan 5

90th

91st

92nd

Albert

93rd

93rd

John Jacob Rhodes

Arizona 1

94th

95th

O'Neill

96th

97th

Robert H. Michel

Illinois 18

98th

99th

100th

Wright

101st

Foley

102nd

103rd

104th

Newt Gingrich

Georgia 6

Himself

105th

106th

Dennis Hastert

Illinois 14

Himself

107th

108th

109th

110th

John Boehner

Ohio 8

Pelosi

111th

112th

Himself

113th

114th

114th

Paul Ryan

Wisconsin 1

Himself

115th

116th

Kevin McCarthy

California 23

Pelosi

117th

118th

California 20

Himself

118th

Vacant

McHenry

118th

Mike Johnson

Louisiana 4

Incumbent

Himself

119th

Notes

Conference chairs

The conference chair is elected each Congress.

Chairman

State

Congress

Dates

Justin S. Morrill

VT

38th–39th

1863–1867

N/A

40th

1867–1869

Robert C. Schenck

OH

41st

1869–1871

Nathaniel P. Banks

MA

Austin Blair

MI

42nd

1871–1873

Horace Maynard

TN

43rd

1873–1875

George W. McCrary

IA

44th

1875–1877

Eugene Hale

ME

45th

1877–1879

William P. Frye

ME

46th

1879–1881

George M. Robeson

NJ

47th

1881–1883

Joseph G. Cannon

IL

48th–50th

1883–1889

Thomas J. Henderson

IL

51st–53rd

1889–1895

Charles H. Grosvenor

OH

54th–55th

1895–1899

Joseph G. Cannon

IL

56th–57th

1899–1903

William P. Hepburn

IA

58th–60th

1903–1909

Frank D. Currier

NH

61st–62nd

1909–1913

William S. Greene

MA

63rd–65th

1913–1919

Horace M. Towner

IA

66th–67th

1919–1923

Sydney Anderson

MN

68th

1923–1925

Willis C. Hawley

OR

69th–72nd

1925–1933

Robert Luce

MA

73rd

1933–1935

Frederick R. Lehlbach

NJ

74th

1935–1937

Roy Woodruff

MI

75th–81st

1937–1951

Clifford Hope

KS

82nd–84th

1951–1957

Charles B. Hoeven

IA

85th–87th

1957–1963

Gerald Ford

MI

88th

1963–1965

Melvin Laird

WI

89th–90th

1965–1969

John B. Anderson

IL

91st–95th

1969–1979

Samuel L. Devine

OH

96th

1979–1981

Jack Kemp

NY

97th–99th

1981–1987

Dick Cheney

WY

100th

1987–1989

Jerry Lewis

CA

101st–102nd

1989–1993

Dick Armey

TX

103rd

1993–1995

John Boehner

OH

104th–105th

1995–1999

J. C. Watts

OK

106th–107th

1999–2003

Deborah Pryce

OH

108th–109th

2003–2007

Adam Putnam

FL

110th

2007–2009

Mike Pence

IN

111th

2009–2011

Jeb Hensarling

TX

112th

2011–2013

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

WA

113th—115th

2013–2019

Liz Cheney

WY

116th—117th

2019–2021

Elise Stefanik

NY

117th—118th

2021–2025

Lisa McClain

MI

119th

2025–present

Vice chairs

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.

Secretaries

Congress

Name

State

Term start

Term end

Position established

90th

Dick Poff

Virginia

January 3, 1967

August 29, 1972

91st

92nd

Jack Edwards

Alabama

August 29, 1972

January 3, 1979

93rd

94th

95th

96th

Clair Burgener

California

January 3, 1979

January 3, 1985

97th

98th

99th

Robert J. Lagomarsino

January 3, 1985

January 3, 1989

100th

101st

Vin Weber

Minnesota

January 3, 1989

January 3, 1993

102nd

103rd

Tom DeLay

Texas

January 3, 1993

January 3, 1995

104th

Barbara Vucanovich

Nevada

January 3, 1995

January 3, 1997

105th

Jennifer Dunn

Washington

January 3, 1997

July 17, 1997

Tillie Fowler

Florida

July 17, 1997

January 3, 1999

106th

Deborah Pryce

Ohio

January 3, 1999

January 3, 2001

107th

Barbara Cubin

Wyoming

January 3, 2001

January 3, 2003

108th

John Doolittle

California

January 3, 2003

January 3, 2007

109th

110th

John Carter

Texas

January 3, 2007

January 3, 2013

111th

112th

113th

Virginia Foxx

North Carolina

January 3, 2013

January 3, 2017

114th

115th

Jason Smith

Missouri

January 3, 2017

January 3, 2021

116th

117th

Richard Hudson

North Carolina

January 3, 2021

January 3, 2023

118th

Lisa McClain

Michigan

January 3, 2023

January 3, 2025

119th

Erin Houchin

Indiana

January 3, 2025

Present

List of successive secretaries of the House Republican Conference

Notes

References

See also