GOP Freshmen Revolt Picks Up Steam
Over the course of the budget battles of the last few months, a growing group of freshmen have begun to lead a revolt against Republican leadership.
While non-freshmen Representatives bucked leadership in similar proportions in the first three continuing resolutions of the 112th Congress, freshmen Republicans have led the backlash against leadership in the last two votes.
In the first continuing resolution that House Republicans considered, H.R. 1, not a single freshman dissented. Only one, Rep. Justin Amash (MI-3) dissented on a two-week C.R. which came before the House on March 1st.
The real rumblings of dissent in the Republican conference erupted on March 15, when 54 Republicans voted ‘nay’ on a continuing resolution that would fund the government for three weeks.
59 Republicans voted against the continuing resolution vote held yesterday, but it’s interesting to see how the makeup of ‘nay’ Republican votes has changed over the last month. Over the month, non-freshmen lost one dissenter, while freshmen gained six.
So it appears that more and more freshmen revolted against leadership as the budget battle drew on. Given this, it can be expected that an even rougher battle over the coming debt ceiling increase is soon to come – with perhaps even more freshmen defections.
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