1st District Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise has won his campaign to serve as chairman of a group of conservatives in Congress, the Republican Study Committee.

"I will begin serving as chairman in the next Congress, so January of 2013 is when my term will start. It's a two-year term," Scalise tells 99.5FM.

Although the vote tally of the over 160 members was not released, Scalise apparently narrowly beat out Representative Tom Graves of Georgia to succeed Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio who served as chair the past two years.

The group includes two-thirds of the Republican conference in the U.S. House and has played a significant role in the debate over deficit and spending issues.

Scalise terms the Republican Study Committee "the conservative conscience of the House."  He says he is "humbled and honored to be chosen as the RSC's leader for the 113th Congress."

The congressman says his goal is to steer the House towards more conservative solutions "as we work to get the country back on the right track."

"I want to see us lead the fight to reform and fix the big problems facing our country, from government spending to creating jobs," Scalise said.