Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) held a fundraiser this month with a notable special guest: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, according to multiple attendees.
The appearance comes as Rouzer is gearing up for a bid to be the top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee next Congress.
To some in the transportation world, Duffy’s appearance signaled that Rouzer is well positioned for a successful run. This was the transportation secretary’s first event for a member of the T&I panel, per several sources.
Duffy, a former House member from Wisconsin, also fundraised for Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) in May. Huizenga was considering a Senate run, which he later abandoned.
Succession at T&I. There’s an opening at Transportation and Infrastructure for Rouzer because Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) is term-limited as chair. In a surprise move last year, Graves was granted a waiver to serve an extra term, which runs through 2026.
Graves still faced a challenge from Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), the committee’s second-most-senior member. Crawford ultimately dropped his bid in the final stretch of the gavel race. But since then, Crawford got another promotion. Speaker Mike Johnson appointed the Arkansas Republican as chair of the House Intelligence Committee after ousting Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) from the post.
Rouzer dipped his toe into the Transportation and Infrastructure race late last year, raising interest if the seat came open. But the North Carolina Republican deferred to Graves. That teed up Rouzer for an early edge the next time around.
Rouzer is the seventh-most senior Republican on Transportation and Infrastructure and currently chairs the Highways and Transit subcommittee.
Still, there’s a long way to go. Gavel races hinge on internal politics that could look different a year from now, especially after the midterms next November.
