Northwest Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson is throwing his hat in the ring to be the next Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee. The committee, the largest caucus of conservatives in the House, is influential in crafting and guiding conservative legislative policy.

Johnson, who’s been a member since joining Congress in 2017, says he’s a great fit for the job.

“It’s got to be somebody who has a rock solid commitment to our core principles, and the ability to defend them in a persuasive, credible, and affable manner.”

The 45-year-old committee has been chaired in the past by some of the biggest names in Republican politics, people like current Vice President Mike Pence, 1st district Congressman Steve Scalise, and Speaker candidate Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, who’s been accused of failing to report sexual abuse during his tenure as assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State.

Johnson says the committee is going to be hugely relevant in the coming years, and has already made its mark as a major force behind one of the most impactful pieces of legislation to come out of the 115th Congress.

“In our current congress that RSC has been largely responsible for many of the achievements we’ve been able to attain. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, much of that policy was driven through RSC members.”

It’s not a position for the faint of heart. The Committee Chairman is responsible for identifying policy objectives for the next year, and then wrangling the support necessary to get those ideas off the white board and onto a bill. Johnson says he’s got the background to both build consensus, and champion conservative values.

"You have to be able to stand and defend those (values), and to direct the ship of policy, so to speak, to be consistent and faithful to those ideas."

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