Vander Woude wins three-way House caucus chair contest

Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, has won a three-way contest to be House GOP caucus chair. He defeated Reps. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, and Christy Perry, R-Nampa. Vander Woude is a retail store operator who served in the House from 2007-2008, then was elected in 2010 and 2012; prior to his election to leadership, he served on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

That’s the final leadership vote of the night; in the morning, the 2013 Legislature will convene for its organizational session. That’s when lawmakers take their oath of office, select their seats in the House and Senate chambers, formally elect the speaker and pro-tem, and hash out committee assignments and chairmanships, a process that could take all day.