Liberty Caucus
The House Liberty Caucus was a congressional caucus consisting of conservative, libertarian, and libertarian conservative members of the United States House of Representatives. It hosted a bimonthly luncheon in Washington, D.C.[1] The group was founded by Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan and joined by Republican members who wanted to "focus on specific issues like economic freedom, individual liberty, and following the Constitution".[1] During his time in Congress, Jared Polis of Colorado was the only Democratic member of the caucus.[4] The caucus was characterized as "conservative with a libertarian emphasis" and was associated with the Tea Party movement.[2] When the 117th Congress convened, there was not new leadership.
House Liberty Caucus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman | Justin Amash (L-MI) |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Preceded by | Liberty Caucus Tea Party Caucus |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing[1] |
| Colors | Red |
| Seats in House Republican Conference | 9 / 222 |
| Seats in the House | 9 / 435 |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
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Prior to the formal creation of the House Liberty Caucus, Rep. Ron Paul hosted a luncheon in Washington, D.C. every Thursday for a group of Republican members of the House of Representatives that he called the Liberty Caucus.[5] The group was closely connected to the political action committee known as the Republican Liberty Caucus and "support[ed] individual rights, limited government and free enterprise".[6]
After the 112th Congress began and Ron Paul switched his focus to his presidential campaign, his luncheon was replaced by a formal congressional member organization called the House Liberty Caucus and chaired by Justin Amash.[7][8] In June 2014, the caucus supported Raúl Labrador's campaign for House Majority Leader.[9][10]
Members
Current Members:
- Andy Biggs of Arizona
- Warren Davidson of Ohio
- Paul Gosar of Arizona[11]
- Morgan Griffith of Virginia[12]
- Jim Jordan of Ohio
- Thomas Massie of Kentucky
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington[13][14]
- Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
- Tim Walberg of Michigan[15]
Former Members:
- Justin Amash of Michigan – retired in 2020
- Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan – lost renomination in 2014[16]
- Paul Broun of Georgia – ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2014[17]
- Jason Chaffetz of Utah[15][18] – resigned in 2017
- Curt Clawson of Florida – retired in 2016
- Scott Garrett of New Jersey – defeated in 2016 general election[17]
- Tom Graves of Georgia[13][14] – resigned in 2020
- Vicky Hartzler of Missouri – ran unsuccessfully for the 2022 United States Senate election in Missouri[15]
- Tim Huelskamp of Kansas – lost renomination in 2016[3]
- Walter Jones of North Carolina – died 2019
- Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming – retired from the House in 2016[17]
- Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina – appointed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2017[1]
- Jared Polis of Colorado (Democrat) – ran successfully for 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election, currently Governor of Colorado. Polis was the only Democratic member of the Liberty Caucus.[11]
- Matt Salmon of Arizona – retired in 2016[17]
- Steve Stockman of Texas – ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2014[3]
- Marlin Stutzman of Indiana – ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2016[17]
- Rob Woodall of Georgia[15] – retired in 2020
See also
References
- "Conservatives Form Their Own Caucus Because the RSC Isn't 'Hard-Core' Enough". NationalJournal.com. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- "Libertarian wing of GOP gains strength in Congress". WashingtonExaminer.com. January 24, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- "Help Build The House Liberty Caucus". LibertyConservatives.com. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- Burness, Alex (October 3, 2018). "In Congress, so-called 'Boulder liberal' Jared Polis hasn't always acted like one".
- Caldwell, Christopher (July 22, 2007). "The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- "Statement of Principles & Positions | Republican Liberty Caucus". Rlc.org. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- "112th Congress : Congressional Member Organizations (CMO)" (PDF). Cha.house.gov. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- "That's My Congress | In Challenge to Michele Bachmann and Tea Party brand, Justin Amash forms House Liberty Caucus". Thatsmycongress.com. March 22, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- Gordon, Greg. "Idaho's Raul Labrador raises profile in failed bid for House leader | Idaho Politics". Idahostatesman.com. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- Costa, Robert. "For tea party, Republican whip race is best shot at House leadership role". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- "Congrats to my friend – and the lone Democratic member of the @libertycaucus – @jaredpolis on his big primary win for governor of Colorado!".
- "Griffith Inducted Into House Liberty Caucus".
- "Legislative Committee Detail Page". Ciclt.net. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- "House Liberty Caucus | Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce". Capecoralvoice.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- "Members | House Liberty Caucus". February 20, 2013. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- "Committees and Caucuses | Congressman Kerry Bentivolio". Bentivolio.house.gov. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- "House Liberty Caucus". Facebook. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- "Committees and Caucuses". Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
