The House Republican Caucus has elected Rep. Timothy Hill to succeed Jeremy Durham as majority whip.
Rep. Hill represents Tennessee State District 3 in the House, which includes the Roan Mountain and Butler communities of Carter County. He is a brother to Tennessee Rep. Matthew Hill of Johnson City.
Durham stepped down as whip and later withdrew from the House GOP caucus amid allegations of sexual harassment and other questionable behavior. Durham has been granted a leave of absence while he seeks what he has called medical and pastoral guidance.
Hill, a second-term lawmaker from Blountville, on Monday defeated Rep. Ron Travis of Dayton on a 38-33 vote. The whip is in charge of corralling votes on the House floor and manages the joint re-election efforts of Republican incumbents.
Hill, in his speech to colleagues, said he wanted to “offer a pathway to healing” to the House Republican caucus.
“No matter what happens today, this caucus has some healing to do. And I want to offer a pathway to healing, a pathway to victory,” Hill said during his speech before the vote.