Congressman Doug Collins Seeking House GOP Caucus Vice-Chairmanship

Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA-09) has thrown his hat into the ring to be the next vice-chairman of the House Republican Caucus.  Current Vice-Chairwoman Lynn Jenkins announced her intention to not run again and focus more on her policy initiatives: repealing Obamacare and tax reform.  Both of which have been made a priority of President-elect Donald Trump.

Congressman Collins will have a challenger in Congressman Bill Flores of Texas.  Flores, outgoing chairman of the Republican Study Committee, announced his intent on Wednesday.  There may be others who decide to jump in, but it’s a two-man race right now and will be decided in the House Republican leadership election next Tuesday.  Congressman Collins has been positioning himself as a champion of the conservative cause.  From Roll Call:

In his note to colleagues, Collins said that Republicans must tell the story of how a limited government can reduce economic and creative limitations that Americans currently face, and explain that the GOP “is the party of compassion, fairness, and freedom.”

Collins accused Democrats of hijacking the meaning of hope by associating it with socialized health care and government benefits and said that Republicans can reclaim the definition and make hope synonymous with opportunity.