Democrats stand to gain at least one seat on the...

the House, voters gave Democrats eight new seats in the next Congress, enough to narrow the Republican majority in some committees. In total, six of the 31 House Commerce Republicans will depart at the end of the year and Democrats will lose four of their 23 current committee members. Last week Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., named five new Republican members for the next Congress: Reps. Gus Bilirakis of Florida; Renee Ellmers of North Carolina; Ralph Hall of Texas; Bill Johnson of Ohio; and Billy Long of Missouri. The majority lost a pair of California committee members, Brian Bilbray and Mary Bono Mack, in the November elections and Charles Bass lost his New Hampshire race to Ann McLane Kuster, a Democratic lawyer. Three other Republican seats on House Commerce were vacated when Sue Myrick of North Carolina announced her retirement, while Cliff Stearns of Florida and John Sullivan of Oklahoma lost their primary races earlier this year. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee will appoint members in December to fill any vacant and new committee seats, a minority spokeswoman said. The members will be subsequently approved by the Democratic Caucus and officially named to the committee. The steering committee will also appoint and the caucus will then approve the House Commerce ranking member, the spokeswoman said, saying there’s “no reason” that Henry Waxman, D-Calif., won’t be selected to stay on as ranking member for the next session. The four Democrats who will not return next session are the retiring Edolphus Towns of New York, Mike Ross of Arkansas and Jay Inslee, who announced his retirement in March to run for Washington governor. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin retired from the House and won the Senate seat held by the retiring Herb Kohl, D-Wis.