Selection Republicans Play Musical Chairs in the 107th Congress

In 1995, House Republicans adopted a conference rule stating that that senior-ity would no longer be the sole criteria for advancement to a full committee chair. In addition, they adopted a standing rule of the House limiting chairs to no more than three consecutive Congresses at the helm of any given standing committee. This article examines the determinants of advancement to full committee chairs in the aftermath of these rule changes. The research focuses primarily on the large-scale displacement of chairs at the outset of the 107th Congress. We find that with the demise of seniority, a candidate’s position rela-tive to the party and funding prowess figure prominently in Republican steering committee decision making