Day after GOP sweep, Texas congressman aims to climb House ranks

U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, a Bryan Republican, is vying for a high-ranking position among his party's leadership for the next Congress.

Flores is running to be vice-chair of the Republican Conference, a spokesman confirmed to the Tribune. If elected, Flores would play a crucial role in the organizational mechanics of the House GOP, which retained control of their chamber on Tuesday.

While Congress features no fewer than seven Texas chairmen, the state does not currently have a member in leadership.

Flores spent the last term running the Republican Study Committee, the largest voting bloc in the House GOP conference. He could face opposition from the House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative of Republican members of Congress.

In the past, Flores brushed off leadership ambitions and promised to term-limit himself by voluntarily retiring after several terms. But he gave no indication on that timing and since then has shown hints of leadership ambitions.

U.S. Rep. Roger Williams of Austin is also running for a Republican leadership slot: chairman of the House GOP campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Elections are tentatively scheduled for next week.

The Hill newspaper reported Flores' run earlier Wednesday.