{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/who-will-join-house-leadership-if-cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-leaves", "Who Will Join House Leadership if Cathy McMorris Rodgers Leaves?", "2016-12-09", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "IN", "Susan Brooks", "B001284", "susanwbrooks.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The potential departure of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Congress creates an opening in Republican House leadership that\u2019s already drawing interest from a number of ambitious members looking for a promotion within the GOP caucus.\nMs. McMorris Rodgers, a Washington state Republican member of Congress, is\u00a0expected to be named Interior secretary\u00a0in President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s incoming administration. That would open up\u00a0her position as Republican conference chair, the fourth-ranking leadership job in the House, at the start of what is expected to be one of the most intense periods of congressional activity in recent years.\nRepublicans who might seek to replace Ms. McMorris Rodgers include GOP Reps. Mia Love of Utah, Susan Brooks of Indiana, Mimi Walters of California and Doug Collins of Georgia, aides said.\nRepublicans just last month elected Mr. Collins the vice-chair of the House GOP conference. But the House GOP may feel pressure to replace Ms. McMorris Rodgers with another woman, given that white men hold their six other top leadership posts.\nMs. Walters has started having discussions with House Republicans about the post.\n\u201cShould [Ms. McMorris Rodgers] be appointed to serve in the Administration, I will absolutely run for Conference Chair to build on the successes House Republicans have seen in the 114th Congress,\u201d Ms. Walters said in a statement Friday. \u201cI am humbled by the support I have received in preliminary conversations, and I look forward to speaking with all the members of our Conference.\u201d\nMs. Brooks is expected to run for the post as well, if it becomes vacant, according to a person\u00a0close to her.\nThe modern incarnation of the conference chair position mainly involves working on messaging strategy and other communications initiatives designed to communicate the agenda of Republican members of Congress. The job also involves helping to organize the caucus leadership elections and assigning committees to members.\nMs. McMorris Rodgers has served in the conference chair position since 2013. Prior to that, she was the vice chair of conference between 2009 and 2014. She has been in the House since 2005.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://susanwbrooks.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/who-will-join-house-leadership-if-cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-leaves"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7530490402132273, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}