Utah Rep. Blake Moore — a ‘rising star’ — wins Republican conference leadership position

Utah Rep. Blake Moore was elected to a leadership position in the Republican conference Wednesday morning, beating out several Republican colleagues.

Moore won the position, vice chair of the Republican conference, over six other GOP hopefuls after two hours and multiple rounds of voting.

“I decided to run for the role of Vice Chair because I believe that an optimistic, conservative message is how we can best win the future,” Moore said in a statement given to the Deseret News. “I can’t wait to hit the ground running and work hard to amplify the many amazing voices of our conference.”

The seventh-highest ranking leadership spot was left vacant by Speaker Mike Johnson, who rose to prominence two weeks ago when House Republicans united to give him the speaker’s gavel.

“Congratulations to my friend, Rep. Blake Moore on his election as Vice Chair of the House GOP,” Johnson wrote on X immediately after Moore’s election. “As the outgoing Vice Chair, my advice to you is simple — even bigger things can come next! I’m excited to have you join this esteemed leadership team.”

While Republican conference vice chair has not traditionally been viewed as a launching pad to more influential leadership roles, Johnson showed it could be done, and Moore’s track record since entering office in 2021 might signal future success for Utah’s 1st District congressman, according to James Curry, director of graduate studies in political science at the University of Utah.

“What this clearly signals is that Blake Moore is interested in moving up the power structure of the House Republican conference in some way,” Curry said, explaining this could mean ending up in higher ranking leadership positions, like majority leader or whip, or pivoting to a “substantial committee leadership role.”

“It clearly shows that he has this sort of upward ambition, that not all members of the House have,” Curry said in an interview with the Deseret News.

In the lead-up to the vote, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., chair of the House Republican conference, released a statement, saying, “With seven extremely qualified Members running for Vice Chair, I am excited for the opportunity to work with each of these individuals to ensure the Republican Conference is on message to stay on offense, hold the Biden Administration accountable, fulfill our Commitment to America, and win in 2024.”

The other candidates were Reps. Mark Alford, R-Mo., Mike Collins, R-Ga., Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Brian Mast, R-Fla., and Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas.

Stefanik released a photo of her and Moore after the vote was finalized and offered her congratulations to the new vice chair.

What will Blake Moore do as House Republican Conference Vice Chair?

The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the House of Representative. The body consists of 221 members and typically meets weekly to organize their messaging, decide their legislative agenda and elect party leadership.

As conference vice chair, Moore will be tasked with organizing daily one-minute speeches from conference members and assisting Stefanik with party messaging. While Moore’s responsibilities are “not very glamorous,” Curry said, they do offer a seat at the table with top party leadership, inserting Moore into leadership discussions, including with the steering committee which selects committee chairs.

“So, it doesn’t mean a whole lot for Blake Moore’s influence today. But it could potentially mean a lot for Blake Moore’s influence in the coming years,” Curry said.

A native of Ogden, Moore’s new position marks another sign of growing momentum for the 2nd-term congressman, who earlier this year was appointed to the powerful Ways and Means Committee which oversees taxes. He was also selected by party leadership to serve on the House Budget Committee.

Moore has made a name for himself leading out on issues of fiscal responsibility, recently becoming co-chair of the House What Works Caucus, focused on responsible federal spending; a steering member of the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum, which seeks bipartisan solutions to reducing the nation’s debt; and vice chair of the Republican Governance Group which pursues “common-sense” conservative legislation on healthcare, infrastructure and other issues.

With his election to conference vice chair, Moore’s rapid trajectory to leadership has reached new heights, Curry said.

“I think this is sort of cementing that he is positioning himself as a rising star because that is not a path that many House members are able to take that quickly,” Curry said, noting the Ways and Means Committee might be the “most exclusive and desirable committee in the House of Representatives.”

“Very few members do it that fast,” he said.

Have Utah representatives served in party leadership before?

Moore, who represents Utah’s 1st Congressional District, received applause on social media from Utah’s congressional delegation, including Rep. Burgess Owens, who offered his congratulations.

Rep. John Curtis, of Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, congratulated Moore for succeeding Johnson as conference vice chair.

“Once again, Utah shows that it always punches above its weight,” Curtis commented on X.

Curry agreed with Curtis, saying Moore fits into a tradition of Utah’s members of Congress, including Curtis, and Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mitt Romney, “punching above their weight.”

Curry said it’s been a long time since “we’ve had a House member in Utah that has had this formal high level of positioning within the party leadership.” However, Curry noted, Moore’s predecessor, Rob Bishop, also wielded disproportionate power and influence in D.C. on behalf of the Beehive State.

Like Bishop, Johnson, and other House leaders, Moore has succeeded in becoming “generally if not universally, liked by (his) colleagues on (his) side of the aisle,” Curry said.

“To be able to make friends and earn respect is a crucial aspect of moving up the ladder in the House of Representatives. And I think this cements that Blake Moore is somebody who has the political skills to do that.”

Other Utah leaders also publicly congratulated Moore.

“Congratulations to Rep. Blake Moore, who represents Utah’s 1st District in Congress, on becoming the GOP’s new Vice Chair in the House of Representatives!” Sen. Mike Lee posted on X.

“Congratulations, @RepBlakeMoore! Utah continues to punch above its weight. Looking forward to seeing our state’s values elevated in Washington,” Sen. Mitt Romney said on X, echoing Curtis.

“HUGE news for one of the best people I know. We are proud of Blake and the way he represents our great state!” wrote Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, also on X.