U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) has been appointed as an Assistant GOP Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In another political coup for a freshman congressman, U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) has been appointed as a member of the GOP Whip Team in the House of Representatives here.
As an Assistant Whip, the first-term representative will now assist Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) in rallying Republican votes on the House floor to advance what Moore describes as “a conservative and responsible political agenda.”
“It is imperative,” Moore explains, “that House Republicans are united in our efforts to push legislation that promotes fiscal responsibility, supports our military and veterans, strengthens our national security, fights for energy independence and more.
“Many thanks to Whip Scalise for this great opportunity,” the Utahn adds.
Moore will now join the ranks of minority GOP leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives. They are Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); Minority Whip Scalise; Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY); and Republican Policy Committee Chair Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL).
The House’s leadership includes the speaker, majority and minority leaders, assistant leaders, whips and chairs of party caucuses or conferences.
The speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several institutional and administrative roles. Longtime Rep. Nancy Pelosi (R-CA) now holds the post of Speaker of the House.
Majority and minority leaders represent their respective parties on the House floor.
Traditionally serving as assistant leaders, whips and assistant whips are mainly responsible for counting heads and rounding up party members for votes and quorum calls. They also stand in for the majority or minority leaders occasionally.
A party caucus or conference is the name given to a meeting of or organization of all party members in the House.
Now in the midst of his first re-election bid, joining the GOP whip team in the House is a strategic move for Moore.
Throughout his first term in office, Moore has carefully worked to form bipartisan alliances – which he argues are necessary to accomplish anything in the bitterly polarized Congress – while trying to avoid being labeled as a Republican in Name Only (RINO) as a result of cooperating with Democrats on some legislation.
Despite that effort, Moore is facing off against four Utah Republicans in a June primary battle for the party nomination to retain his seat in Congress. Those challengers are former intelligence officer Andrew Badger; Julie Fullmer, the mayor of Vineyard; former Morgan County Commissioner Tina Cannon; and Autoliv business executive William Campbell.
Rep. Scalise welcomed Moore to the GOP whip team enthusiastically in mid-March, praising his prior experience in both the private sector and the U.S. foreign service.
“With a public servant’s heart and a commitment to delivering results for his constituents,” Scalise predicts, “Congressman Moore will play a vital role in helping House Republicans reverse President Biden’s and Speaker Pelosi’s self-made crises that are hurting millions of families, workers and small businesses across the country.”