The House Democrats have selected their leadership for the next Congress. The impact of personnel changes on support for trade in the leadership is unclear and may be a wash: a strong trade moderate has moved on, but another trade moderate, and someone who has quite a good record on trade, moved up. A candidate for one office who had reportedly made her concerns about trade part of her platform was beaten.
I'm depending on Jared Allen's story in The Hill today, House Democrats elect Becerra vice chairman, for the results.
Nancy Pelosi (CA) remains as the Speaker of the House, Steny Hoyer (MD) remains as Majority Leader, and James Clyburn remains as Majority Whip.
Rahm Emanuel (IL) is resigning his House seat and his position as Democratic Caucus Chairman to become Chief of Staff to President Obama. He is being replaced by John Larson (CT), who is moving up from Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair. As noted here, Emanuel's move may be taking a strong character with a moderate voice and a relatively pro-trade orientation, out of the heart of the Democratic Leadership. Larson doesn't have quite as good trade record as Emanuel, according to the Cato rankings.
In the only contested election, Xavier Becerra (CA), Assistant to the Speaker in the 110th Congress, has beaten Marcy Kaptur (OH) to become Democratic Caucus Vice Chair. Becerra had a relatively good trade record, opposing trade barriers 65% of the time, although only opposing trade subsidies 8% of the time. Kaptur has tended to show more support for trade barriers and subsidies and, in fact, is reported to have made her concerns about trade a key part of her platform (Trade skeptic Kaptur runs for House Democratic leadership). This was not a close vote.
Becerra was replaced as Assistant to the Speaker by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (MD.) Van Hollen has a very good trade record, opposing trade barriers 70% of the time and trade subsidies 40% of the time.
The Allen story suggests there were no changes among the Steering Committee Co-chairs or the whips. The Democratic Caucus web site says these people have held those positions, and I assume they keep them: Rosa DeLauro (CT) and George Miller (CA) remain as Democratic Steering Committee Co-Chairs. John Lewis (GA) remains as Senior Chief Deputy Whip, and G.K. Butterfield (NC), Joe Crowley (NY), Diana DeGette (CO), Ed Pastor (AZ), Jan Schakowsky (IL), John Tanner (TN), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL) and Maxine Waters (CA) remain as whips.
Just a quick reminder that the Dingell-Waxman contest for the Chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is still unresolved: Waxman and Dingell.
Edits: Waxman-Dingell note added Nov 19.
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