A freshman member of the House emerged as the new chairman of the Republican Study Committee Thursday after the RSC endorsed his challenger.
The new RSC chair, North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Walker, is entering his second term in office and is the youngest member to lead the group of over 150 conservatives.
Walker ran against RSC board favorite Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, a three-term member. According to Politico, board insiders supported Harris over Walker because of Harris’s seniority and as a way to lessen the friction between the RSC and the Freedom Caucus.
“That’s the way it works in a democracy,” Harris told Roll Call after the election.
A number of Freedom Caucus members who are RSC members decided to leave the group because they believe it is not as conservative as it once was. Harris decided to remain a member of the Freedom Caucus.
“There has never been a better time for a bold conservative vision for America,” Walker said in a statement after his election. “Looking at the election results, it is clear the American people want to reclaim constitutional principles and reinvigorate our economy. It is unacceptable for us not to deliver on the faith the voters have invested in us.”