GOP Campaigning for House Commerce Committee Chair Gets Going
The elections may be over, but the race for House Commerce Committee chair next session is heating up. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., confirmed Thursday that he wants the job. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, made a public plea to incoming freshman Republicans to support him for the post. Due to GOP term limit rules, Ranking Member Barton must get a waiver from the House GOP Steering Committee to stay atop the committee. House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Fred Upton, R-Mich., who among those interested in the position has the most committee seniority, also want the job.
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Shimkus will seek chairmanship of the Commerce Committee if Barton is not successful in seeking a waiver, a Shimkus spokesman confirmed Thursday. Shimkus would seek a subcommittee chair otherwise, said the spokesman, declining to say which one. Similarly, on Wednesday, Stearns said he wants to be the committee chairman if Barton doesn’t get a waiver, but that Barton told him he could be Communications Subcommittee chairman if a waiver is granted (CD Nov 4 p1). Upton is viewed by industry as the favorite of Republicans competing for the job. He didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., wouldn’t say if he’s seeking the chair of the Communications Subcommittee, as he’s been reported to be. He plans to spend the rest of the year chairing the GOP Majority Transition Committee. “I have a good background in communications” and other Commerce Committee issues, and “do hope with the blessing of the Steering Committee to go back on the Commerce Committee, and I think that’s pretty well assured,” Walden said at a news conference. Asked if he supports Barton’s getting a waiver from GOP term-limit rules, he said, “You know, I'm going to stay out of that discussion right now."
The Steering Committee meeting to decide Commerce Committee leadership hasn’t been scheduled yet, said a spokesman for Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio. The committee likely will meet during the week of Nov. 15, but probably won’t reach a decision on Barton’s waiver until after Thanksgiving, a House GOP staffer said. The Steering Committee is controlled by Boehner. He and Barton have clashed on a few occasions. They ran against each other for the Republican leadership spot, and this summer Boehner publicly scolded Barton for the Texas lawmaker’s controversial comments on the BP oil spill.
"One of the first major decisions waiting for you in Washington is deciding who will be the leaders of the next Congress,” Barton wrote in a letter to Congressman-elect Steve Pearce of New Mexico that Barton’s office circulated to the media. He sent identical letters to other GOP freshmen. “I'm supporting John Boehner for speaker,” Barton wrote. “I also hope to participate, myself, as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I'll need the support of people like you who are coming to Washington with change on their minds and determination in their hearts."
Barton’s open letter followed an op-ed in the Washington Times (CD Oct 29 p11) in which he also argued that he should be chairman. It’s not common for a Republican to campaign so publicly for a committee chairmanship, and others in the party may see it as bad form, said a telecom industry lobbyist. Another industry lobbyist said it’s unlikely Barton will get the job, but it appears he will be in the ring “swinging” until the end.
When current Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sought to wrest control of the committee from Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., Waxman kept quiet about his intentions and began a behind-the-scenes campaign to secure freshman support. After he found out about Waxman, Dingell campaigned very publicly to keep the slot. Barton’s “little media campaign” similarly smells of desperation, and Barton’s open letter to win freshmen support looks like a “Hail Mary” pass, said a telecom industry lobbyist.