U.S. Rep. Greg Steube of Florida is seeking election as the next Republican conference chair, a key leadership position within the House of Representatives. Steube, who represents Congressional District 17, announced his candidacy last week, stating he represents a “genuine conservative option and a fresh approach to leadership.”
Steube will compete for the position Tuesday against Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain, the current Republican conference chair, and Indiana Rep. Erin Houchin. Steube was recently re-elected to represent his district, which includes Sarasota, Charlotte, and parts of Lee counties.
In his statement announcing his candidacy, Steube said the GOP suffered major losses in the midterm elections not “because they were too conservative,” but because they “failed to deliver on the promises we made.” He added, “I am tired of watching Washington conventional wisdom dictate our policies. We should not be afraid to govern conservatively or challenge our own leadership when it loses sight of the commitments we made. If we want voters to trust us again, they need to see that electing Republicans actually makes a difference.”
Steube criticized Republican Senate and House leadership following last week’s election, stating, “You have been embarrassingly weak and more afraid of governing conservatively than of disappointing the voters who put us in office.” He accused leadership of “governing out of fear” and “kneeling to the moderates in our conference (who all got crushed last night anyway),” and of “discarding conservatives like me who warned of last night’s results.”
Steube was first elected to the Florida House in 2010, then to the state Senate in 2016, and moved to Congress in 2018. Meanwhile, Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott told Fox News over the weekend that he will not challenge Senate Minority Leader John Thune’s bid for re-election. “I don’t want to run again. I’ve run twice,” Scott said. He lost to Mitch McConnell in the race to lead Senate Republicans in 2022 and to Thune in 2024.
