Rep. Rob Bishop appears to have a clear path to chair the House Natural Resources Committee after his only rival to the position announces he won’t run.
Reports Bloomberg BNA:
“[Bishop] is actively working toward that goal and is hopeful that he will be selected as the next chairman,” Melissa Subbotin, an aide to Bishop, told Bloomberg BNA. “Despite there being significant support behind his bid for chairman, he takes nothing for granted.”
Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) have greater seniority on the committee than Bishop. But Young can’t run due to House Republican term limits and Gohmert—Bishop’s only obstacle to the chairmanship—told Bloomberg BNA in an e-mail he wouldn’t challenge Bishop for the chairmanship.
For Bishop to lose, he would have to be upset by a less-senior committee member.
“Rob and I have been of a common spirit on most every issue,” Gohmert said of Bishop. “I can think of no one who would do a better job of leading that critical committee at this crucial time than [Bishop]. He would be a great chairman and I fully support his chairmanship—as long as my support does not hurt him.”
