Republican Study Committee

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The Republican Study Committee is a caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives.

It was founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists to keep a watch on the House Republican leadership, which they saw at the time as too moderate. Their formation mirrored the rise of the Democratic Study Group, a liberal force in the House Democratic Caucus founded in 1948. The group's first chairman was Phil Crane of Illinois. The group briefly dissolved in 1995 after the Republicans won control of the House for the first time in 40 years. Newly elected Speaker Newt Gingrich yanked funding for the RSC and similar groups soon after taking office.

However, it was almost immediately refounded as the Conservative Action Team by Dan Burton of Indiana (the last chairman of the original RSC), Sam Johnson of Texas, John Doolittle of California and Ernest Istook of Oklahoma. The four founders alternated as chairmen throughout the next two Congresses until David McIntosh of Indiana became chairman in 1998. When he resigned from the chairmanship in 2000 to focus on his run for governor of Indiana, Johnson reassumed the chairmanship. John Shadegg of Arizona became chairman in 2001, renaming it the RSC soon after taking over. Shadegg increased the group's membership from 40 members in 2001 to 70 members in 2003. Sue Myrick of North Carolina served as chairwoman from 2003 to 2005. Mike Pence of Indiana served as chairman from 2005 to 2006. On December 6, 2006, the Committee voted 57-42 to elect Texas Congressman Jeb Hensarling to serve as chairman in the 110th Congress; Todd Tiahrt of Kansas was Hensarling's opponent in the chairmanship race. It is currently the largest single component of the House Republican Conference (caucus).

Several members of the RSC have held high positions in the House leadership. For instance, Doolittle was secretary of the House Republican Conference from 2003 to 2007, and Shadegg served as chairman of the House Policy Committee before stepping down to run for House Majority Leader in 2005.

The organization has long had ties to groups making up the most conservative elements of the Republican Party, such as the National Rifle Association, the American Family Association, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America and the conservative magazine National Review, as well as the libertarian Cato Institute.

A subgroup of the committee, the Values Action Team, coordinates legislation with the Christian right. It has been headed by Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania since its formation in 1997.

The RSC has never publicized its full membership list, but a partial list has always been available at the group's Website. It touts a former Vice President (likely Dan Quayle) and a former House Majority Leader (likely Tom DeLay) among its former members. In addition, three sitting Senators--David Vitter, Richard Burr and Jim DeMint--were members of the RSC while serving in the House. Current Idaho Governor Butch Otter was also a member.