News: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is privately mulling a bid to become the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, the latest example of generational turnover that has begun in the post-election period.
We scooped in the Wednesday AM edition that Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) is looking to unseat Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) as the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. Our friend Sarah Ferris at CNN broke the news that Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) will challenge David Scott (D-Ga.) for the ranking member post on the Agriculture Committee, although other contenders may jump into that contest. And there may be similar challenges for other panels, Democratic lawmakers and aides added.
House Democrats are just starting to grapple with their defeat on Election Day and what it might mean for them in a Donald Trump-dominated Washington. The Judiciary Committee — chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a top Trump ally — will be a key battleground between the two parties. Immigration, trade, abortion, constitutional disputes and “Subversive activities affecting the internal security of the United States” all come under the purview of the Judiciary Committee.
Raskin would have to supplant Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), currently ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. The 61-year-old Raskin — a Harvard-trained constitutional law professor — couldn’t be reached for comment.
Yet a number of Democratic lawmakers and aides said Raskin is considering it. And the Democratic leadership looks ready to let the caucus work its will on this and the other committee disputes.
The 77-year-old Nadler, who won a 2017 fight to become the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel, told us on Wednesday he’s unaware of any potential challenges to his position.
In a letter sent to colleagues Wednesday evening, Nadler touted that he has fought against Trump his entire career. The New York Democrat pledged to “stand as a bulwark against the MAGA Majority’s dangerous agenda.”
Yet a number of members have privately expressed concern over whether Nadler is up to the challenges presented by Trump’s return. They also note that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose now Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to oversee the first impeachment inquiry against Trump in 2019, although Nadler later served as a House manager during the Senate trial.
Raskin, the ranking member on the Oversight Committee, is on leave from the Judiciary panel. If Raskin were to challenge Nadler and succeed, that would leave an opening atop Oversight. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) were all floated to us as possible successors. AOC, for her part, dismissed it as “just speculation” and didn’t want to discuss the idea.
House Democrats still have to organize their Steering and Policy Committee, which won’t take place until December, after Congress returns from the Thanksgiving break.
As far as the Natural Resources panel, we pressed Grijalva on the challenge from Huffman. Grijalva’s response: “I don’t want to feed the bullshit.”
But the veteran Arizona Democrat did say he never got a personal heads-up from Huffman about his plans to run. When asked whether he was confident of victory, Grijalva said, “There’s no confidence in this stuff.”
Meanwhile, Huffman said he’s been aggressively lobbying members. “I’m campaigning hard,” Huffman told us.
