Our shrinking clout again

From yesterday's Chron we have a third entry in the continuing series "Where, Oh Where, Has Our Congressional Clout Gone?"

Texas, a powerhouse on Capitol Hill because it has had the largest Republican delegation to the House, will lose influence if Democrats seize the majority in Congress in next week's elections.

The state's 32-member House delegation has 20 Republicans, a vacancy caused by the resignation of GOP Rep. Tom DeLay and 11 Democratic lawmakers.

If they suddenly become part of a new majority, Texas Democrats will be forced to compete with larger and more powerful state contingents. California has 33 Democratic members, New York has 20, and both states may pick up more Democratic seats in the elections.

"This shows the extent (Texas) has hitched its star to the Republican Party," said Bruce Buchanan, political science professor at the University of Texas-Austin.

[...]

No Texans are in the top ranks of the current House Democratic leadership either, and none is vying for a leadership position in the next Congress.

In the GOP-controlled House, the top-ranked Texan is Rep. Joe Barton of Ennis, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee. If the Republicans retain their majority, Rep. Lamar Smith of San Antonio would likely move up as chairman of the Judiciary Committee while Rep. Ralph Hall of Rockwall would seek the chairmanship of the Science Committee.

Even under GOP control, the Texas delegation suffered a setback this year with the resignation of DeLay, who as majority leader won passage of key Republican bills and led the "K Street project" that forged close ties between the party and lobbyists, a major source of political funding.

[...]

Texas Democrats blame their weakened condition on the 2003 redistricting engineered by DeLay that resulted in the state's 17-member Democratic delegation losing six members, including three senior lawmakers who would now be in position to be committee chairmen in a Democratic House.

Former Rep. Charlie Stenholm of Abilene was next in line to chair the Agriculture Committee, former Rep. Jim Turner of Crockett was ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee and former Rep. Martin Frost of Dallas was poised to chair the Rules Committee, which sets the terms for consideration of legislation on the House floor.

"They took out over a hundred years of seniority, and we're paying the price for that right now," said Ken Bentsen, a former Democratic congressman from Houston.

To be fair, by my count it was 86 years of seniority, though had they succeeded in offing Rep. Chet Edwards, it would have gone over the century mark. I suppose you count count DeLay's years in the tally as well, but I think he'd have imploded regardless of the redistricting scheme, thanks to his BFF Jack Abramoff.

Although they may not hold top positions, Texas Democrats note they would still chair key subcommittees that help craft legislation.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, for instance, is the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration and Border Security subcommittee and Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, is expected to head the Appropriation Committee's subcommittee that oversees military construction funding.

Houston-area Democrats also sit on panels that deal with Texas issues: Democratic Rep. Gene Green is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Rep. Al Green is on the Science Committee, which oversees NASA.

Some Texans hope that Pelosi will turn to Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, to chair the House Intelligence Committee. Pelosi reportedly does not get along with the committee's senior Democrat, Rep. Jane Harmon, D-Calif.

It's my understanding that Nick Lampson would get his seniority back, and would be able to get back onto the Science Committee as well.

UPDATE: In response to a question in the comments, I got the following email from Mike Malaise, Nick Lampson's campaign manager:

Steny Hoyer came down for a meeting with BAHEP and told them he was working to get Nick a spot on Appropriations. Leadership has assured him he gets his seniority back just as Jane Harman did when she returned to Congress. The chances to secure Nick on Approps gets even better if another Dem in Texas wins--so everyone get out and help Shane Sklar as well.

FYI, BAHEP is the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. I think it's safe to say that a Democratic Congress that features Nick Lampson as a member will still have its share of clout.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on November 02, 2006 to Show Business for Ugly People | TrackBack