A first file from Tamar Hallerman, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's new Washington reporter:
The Ranger Republican was tapped Thursday to replace the retiring Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County, on the 35-member House Republican Steering Committee, which also selects committee chairmen. Westmoreland represented Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina on the secretive panel, but resigned from the committee after he announced his retirement at the end of the 114th Congress, according to Graves' office.
"I'm grateful to Lynn Westmoreland for his friendship and leadership, and I intend to be a strong voice for Georgia and the region just as he has been for many years," Graves said in a statement provided to the AJC. "This is an exciting time to be a Republican, and I will work to steer our conference in the direction of bold conservative ideas."
Graves was selected for the post during a conference call on Thursday. He ran unopposed.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., overhauled the steering panel soon after being sworn into the job, part of his promise to open up the institution to rank-and-file members and decentralize power. Many conservatives criticized his predecessor, John Boehner, for exercising too much control over the influential panel.
You can follow Hallerman on Twitter here: @ajconwashington
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