One of the major questions swirling around Washington is who will get the coveted Appropriations Committee seat vacated by Duke Cunningham.
The Appropriations Committee, the prime vehicle for dishing out “pork” has ten subcommittees. Each subcommittee chairman is commonly referred to as a “cardinal” and they are unrivaled in their power over the purse. Cunningham sits on the Defense Subcommittee as well as the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis favors fellow Californian Rep. Ken Calvert for the vacancy. One
of the arguments is that this is a “California seat,” which it is. Before Cunningham took the seat, it was occupied by former Rep. Bill Lowery of San Diego. Lewis, as chairman, and a member of the House Republican Steering Committee (the committee on committees) holds significant influence on this decision.
Other members have begun jockeying for the vacant seat in the last few days, most notably Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). Wilson, a protégé of the late Rep. Floyd Spence, is a political animal and as omnipresent on the campaign trail as he is on Capitol Hill. There isn’t a reception or an election that Joe Wilson isn’t a presence. He has also been very aggressive in recruiting candidates and raising money to help them. Two weeks ago, Wilson held a fundraiser for a State Rep. Ralph Norman, a candidate he recruited against Rep. Jack Spratt (D-SC), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee and a vicious partisan. Wilson’s efforts brought in $150,000, a very impressive showing for a challenger candidate. Wilson’s work will not go unnoticed by the Steering Committee.
Another potential candidate for the vacancy is Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) . Diaz-Balart, was chairman of Florida’s Redistricting Committee while in the state legislature, and oversaw a map that netted Republicans four new seats out of the Sunshine State. This will also be a factor for the Steering Committee to consider.
In the next week, other candidates will emerge. But if I were to handicap it today, I see it as a contest between Calvert and Wilson.