U.S. Rep. Roger Williams loses bid to chair House GOP's campaign arm

U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, lost his bid Tuesday to become chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of the House GOP. 

House Republicans instead elected Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio to succeed Rep. Greg Walden at the helm of the NRCC. Stivers received 143 votes to 96 for Williams, according to two sources close to House GOP leadership.  

Williams had exuded confidence heading into Tuesday, saying he had the votes to win the post. Part of his campaign centered on easing the fundraising burden on lawmakers by scaling back membership dues.

Another Texas Republican, Rep. Bill Flores of Bryan, also suffered a loss in the GOP leadership elections Tuesday. He was defeated by Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia in the race for House GOP vice chairman.

Flores, first elected in 2010, spent the previous congressional term as head of the Republican Study Committee, the largest voting bloc in Congress.

The two losses are a setback for Texans, who've longed for several years to have a seat at the leadership table. While the state has seven chairmanships in the U.S. House, it was a point of annoyance among many Texas Republicans that the largest GOP state delegation did not hold a leadership slot.

Abby Livingston contributed to this report.

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