Lankford joins Senate GOP leadership team
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) formally joined the Senate Republican leadership team on Wednesday, having won an uncontested bid to become the vice chair of the Senate GOP Policy Committee.
Lankford ran unchallenged for the position and will replace Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who moved up to become chair of the committee.
As vice chair, Lankford is chiefly tasked with keeping the minutes at the weekly Tuesday policy luncheon.
The move into leadership came after an eventful past year for the Oklahoma senator, who was the chief GOP negotiator on the bipartisan border package that was swiftly rejected by conservatives early this year.
Nevertheless, Senate GOP members did not take issue with Lankford himself as he remained highly thought of throughout much of the conference despite the failed bill.
Lankford also becomes the first Oklahoma Republican to become a member of the Senate GOP leadership team in more than 20 years, since former Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) served as whip.
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