Utah Rep. Blake Moore won the election for vice chair of the House GOP Caucus on Wednesday, the number seven spot in the House Republican hierarchy.
Moore, in his second term in Congress, defeated six other Republicans to fill the spot previously held by new Louisiana Rep. Speaker Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House.
Moore also holds a spot on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee.
“I can’t wait to hit the ground running and work hard to amplify the many amazing voices in our conference,” Moore said in a statement posted to X on Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s a tough environment in Washington right now. It’s a split government type of thing, and we’re making — creating — as many ways as we possibly can as we move forward with this,” Moore said after his win, as reported by The Hill.
Moore was congratulated by several of his Republican colleagues, including Johnson.
“As the outgoing vice chair, my advice to you is simple — even bigger things can come next!,” the House speaker wrote on X.
“HUGE news for one of the best people I know,” Gov. Spencer Cox posted on social media. “We are proud of Blake and the way he represents our great state!”
In his new position, Moore now has a seat on the House GOP Steering Committee, responsible for making committee assignments. That could prove beneficial to other Utah Republicans angling for committee assignments. Republican Celeste Maloy, a former staffer for Rep. Chris Stewart who is the GOP nominee in November’s special election to replace her former boss, is hoping for a spot on the House Natural Resources and Armed Services Committees if she is elected.
Rep. Burgess Owens, also in his second term, had made some noise about taking over the House Appropriations Committee previously held by Stewart. Late Wednesday, Roll Call reported Owens would not pursue that assignment.
Moore is now the highest-ranking Utah Republican in the House in recent memory. Former congressman Jason Chaffetz was the chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee before his sudden retirement in 2017. Former congressman Rob Bishop, who Moore replaced in Congress, was chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and former Rep. Jim Hansen held the chairmanship of the House Ethics Committee.
Utah is one of nine states that have never had a member of its congressional delegation win a single vote for House Speaker, according to Smart Politics. The others are Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Update, 6 p.m. • This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Blake Moore and to reflect recent reporting from Roll Call.
