Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers pose for a photo at a Washington State event earlier this year.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R, WA-5) was named Monday to be Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney‘s liaison to the U.S. House, according to RollCall.com.

Romney gave a statement of solid support for his new lead in the House, saying, “She understands the impact of the economic challenges Americans face and the need to put our country on a better track. As a member of the leadership team in the House, she will be a helpful partner in our efforts to ensure our focus remains on the critical issue of economic security for all Americans.”

“I am truly honored to serve as the leader of Mitt Romney’s House team,” McMorris Rodgers said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Gov. Romney, Sen. Blunt, and leaders across the country in our effort to get our country back on the right track.”

The 5th-ranked Republican in the House and Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, McMorris Rodgers has emerged as a potent foil to the Democrats’ attempts to play gender politics.

As chair of Romney’s presidential campaign in her home state, McMorris Rodgers  is also likely to receive a large portion of the credit for Romney’s impressive delegate haul from the Republican state convention there this past week, a win of 37 of 43 delegates to the August national nominating convention.

McMorris Rodgers was also the top vote-getter in Washington’s at-large delegate elections, receiving a vote on nearly 69 percent of the 1,419 ballots cast in Saturday’s convention session.

[Popular two-time gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi took the second at-large delegate spot, coming in behind McMorris Rodgers by only 5 votes. There were no calls for a recount.]

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