WASHINGTON — Rep. Henry Waxman of California won backing from a House Democratic leadership panel Wed nesday to replace veteran Rep. John Dingell as chairman of the committee with oversight of energy and global warming.
Waxman won a 25-22 vote in the Democratic Steering and Policy panel. But Waxman and Dingell, D-Mich., will still square off today when rank-and-file Democrats vote.
Dingell, 82, has been the committee’s top Democrat for 28 years, and is an ally of automakers and electric utilities. The Energy and Commerce panel is one of the most important in the House, with sweeping jurisdiction over energy, the environment, consumer protection, and health-care programs.
Environmentalists and some liberal Democrats, however, see in Waxman an opportunity to push through a more ambitious environmental agenda.
A portion of Rep. Diana DeGette’s political future could be decided in the vote. The Denver Democrat is vice chair of the committee, a position she leapfrogged into in 2006 when Dingell pulled her up over 11 people with more seniority. Dingell has been a mentor to DeGette. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” said DeGette spokesman Kristofer Eisenla. “There are so many dynamics here that it’s too close to call.”
From staff writer Anne C. Mulkern and wire reports
