The Congressional Western Caucus picked Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy to be its chair, following the unexpected death of its previous leader, California GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa.
The group made its pick Thursday afternoon in a unanimous vote. Maloy was previously executive vice chair and has been leading the caucus since LaMalfa’s death early in January. The caucus also approved Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich as its new executive vice chair.
Maloy said she isn’t planning any dramatic changes for the caucus, which has long sought to further policies that help rural areas, including on federal lands, water rights, energy and agriculture. It’s one of the largest caucuses in Congress, with nearly 100 current members, all of whom are Republicans.
“I’m not going to try to turn over the world right away,” she told POLITICO’s E&E News after the vote. “I want to keep going with the priorities that Doug LaMalfa had, and I want to make sure that the caucus is focused on the things that matter in rural America — the natural resources issues, the Main Street issues that we’ve always been focused on.”
