House Democrats formally approved their party’s picks Wednesday for several leaders, including the ranking members of the so-called exclusive committees.
These leadership spots — along with several other positions — were all uncontested. All of the lawmakers selected Wednesday also held their positions in the last Congress.
The Democratic caucus formally approved:
- Ways and Means: Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.)
- Financial Services: Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)
- Appropriations: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
- Energy and Commerce: Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
- Rules: Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)
- Budget: Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.)
- DCCC: Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.)
Up next: But the caucus will face contested races next week. Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) are facing off for Natural Resources. Meanwhile, Reps. David Scott (D-Ga.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) are locked into a tight race for Agriculture.
Stansbury’s last-minute entry into the race for the Natural Resources panel shook up the contest but has also caused some quiet drama within the Hispanic Caucus. Outgoing ranking member Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) raised some eyebrows in the bloc by throwing his weight behind Stansbury and spoke on her behalf in their caucus meeting Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the matter. He’s pushed the Hispanic Caucus to endorse her.
“I would have loved an opportunity to present, but I’m told that the decision was made that since I’d already presented in a prior race against Grijalva — that I didn’t get a second chance,” Huffman said in a brief interview.
