House GOP leaders plan to bring freshmen into the fold

Republicans will elect two freshman House members to a position in the leadership, the top GOP leaders said Tuesday.

Incoming Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), likely Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and presumptive Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that two newly-elected GOP lawmakers would join the leadership team, while another three would join the Republican Steering Committee, which helps determine chairmanships and committee assignment for members.

“After several days of dialogue with our new colleagues and an assessment of the objectives the new majority will pursue in the next Congress on behalf of the American people, we have determined that the incoming House GOP freshman class should have two elected representatives at the leadership table and three representatives on the Republican Steering Committee in the 112th Congress," Boehner and Cantor said in a joint statement.

"We are committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure that the Republican majority delivers on its pledge to rein in government, cut spending, and get people back to work," the pair added.

The new positions are in some ways a bow to the new influence of the Republicans who were elected to Congress two weeks ago, many of them with ties to the Tea Party movement.

Among the candidates for the new leadership positions might be some of the more high-profile freshmen, like Rep.-elect Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Rep.-elect Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep.-elect Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) have been mentioned as possible candidates for the new gigs.