How Rep. Blake Moore plans to lead as GOP vice president

Blake Moore, the newly elected House GOP vice chairman, prides himself on being optimistic, quick to build bridges and quick to address the most pressing political issues of the day.

With Wednesday’s surprise ascension to one of the top leadership roles in the House Republican Conference, the representative for Utah’s 1st Congressional District told the Deseret News that he has been tasked with applying the same voter-serving characteristics to strengthen his party nationally.

“I look at this role as a way to help other members, oftentimes freshmen or people who are less established, communicate what I think is a kind of Ronald Reagan-like optimism found within conservative principles, to go out and win the future,” Moore said. Who is only in his second term.

What will Blake Moore do as Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference?

His new role comes in addition to his seat on the Ways and Means and Budget committees, Moore said, and will give him a place at the table with the party’s seven other elected leaders on matters of organizing messaging and choosing to make up House committees.

Moore will serve as assistant to House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, where she will help schedule caucus members’ daily one-minute addresses, op-eds and coordinate their colleagues’ communications strategies.

“My job is to be able to help members determine what message is best for them and their districts and how to best leverage the tools we have to communicate that message,” Moore said.

This message often centers around kitchen table issues that affect all Americans, such as energy costs, job growth and government oversight, but must be applied differently by each Republican lawmaker depending on the needs of his or her district.

A unique message for the Republican Party

For this reason, Moore said his role is not to be a spokesman for the party, but to help empower each member to effectively communicate the party’s values.

But Moore hopes his unique approach will have a real impact on the course of the party, believing it is what got him elected to his new leadership position and what got him elected to the US House of Representatives in the first place.

When Moore first ran for Congress in 2020, his platform was shortened to “being an optimistic conservative voice for the next generation.”

“The next generation and younger Americans need to have someone in the conservative movement to look up to,” Moore said. “And we feel like we’ve had some success with that. And I want to share more of that with the conference.”

After months of Republican infighting over budget issues and the Speaker’s gavel, and after a solid performance in the off-year election, Moore said focusing on substance — “truth rather than rhetoric” — in his messaging will communicate to the American people that the Republican Party is a party Serious solutions.

First for Utah

In addition to Moore being the first-ever Utah Republican on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legislation, the second-term congressman now appears to be the first Utah representative ever to serve on the party’s House leadership team.

“We’ve always been burdened by the good work of the committee,” Moore said, referring to former Rep. Chris Stewart’s position on the Appropriations Committee and Rep. John Curtis’s position on energy and trade. “This is an opportunity to impact things from a leadership perspective as well, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Despite the increased importance of Moore’s new role after his predecessor became Speaker of the House, Moore said he does not see the position as a launching pad for future ambitions to lead the party. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity to expand his influence on Utah and the country.

“I just want to do a good job in this particular role, and I’m not worried about what comes next,” Moore said.

However, Moore admitted that his tendency to form “genuine” relationships with colleagues across the ideological spectrum was key to his success, and would hopefully lead to a stronger Republican Party.

“And I think my colleagues recognize that and they have kind of rewarded that by electing me to this role and giving me an opportunity to showcase what I and my team can do,” Moore said.