NBC’s First Read, which is one of the best ways for a political junkie to start the day, has two interesting posts regarding the face of the US House if the Republicans take control in November.
They list the likely leaders for the Republicans and the likely committee chairs. The implications of both are telling for Virginia.
First, there is little debate that if the Republicans take control Virginia Representative Eric Cantor will be the majority leader, making him the second most powerful man in the House behind the Republican Speaker of the House, Ohio’s John Boehner.
The list of potential Republican committee chairmen/women doesn’t include a single Virginian, which surprised me.
I have been told by several sources that Roanoke’s Bob Goodlatte was in line to possibly chair the House Judiciary Committee. But, according to NBC’s reporting, the likely chair of that committee will be Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas.
Goodlatte has almost 20 years in the House and has already served one stint as Agriculture Chair. NBC doesn’t make mention of the potential Republican chair of that committee, so perhaps Goodlatte will take the gavel back on Ag.
The final interesting point from NBC’s reporting is the geographical equality in their potential leaders and chairs. Given the GOP’s strength in the South, I expected we would see the vast majority of chairs and leaders from that region. But, if NBC’s list is correct, there’s a little more evenness in the numbers, except from the Northeast. Here’s the breakdown by region:
South: 9
Northeast: 1
Midwest: 7
West/Southwest: 6
Posted by Jay Warren at 10:12 AM. Filed under: main •
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