Committee Chairs Will Shift No Matter Which Party Controls Congress

Sept. 12, 2010 -- The tumultuous midterm elections have put more than a dozen powerful House committee and subcommittee leaders in the danger zone this year, threatening to alter the landscape of Congress whether or not Democrats maintain their majority.

With less than eight weeks to go before Election Day, a growing number of senior Democrats find themselves in tight races, from South Carolina Rep. John Spratt, a 28-year-veteran who heads the House Budget Committee, to Texas Rep. Chet Edwards, chairman of a subcommittee that oversees spending on military construction projects.

Committee chairpersons, who generally represent "safe" seats in elections, wield significant power in Congress. The outcomes of their races this year could affect President Obama's priorities — including plans on energy and the economy — even if Democrats stay in charge.

In an election year defined by voter angst at incumbents, the committee and subcommittee leaders in competitive contests face an especially tough challenge: How to tout their clout while not coming across as Washington insiders.

"This year more than others, it's a doubled-edged sword," Stuart Rothenberg of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report said of chairmanships. "Many people think Washington is broken. So having clout and influence is not what it has been in the past."

The result of the contests will help decide whether Democrats can maintain their House majority despite Gallup and other polls that show discontent is on par with 1994 and 2006, when voters dumped the party in control of Congress. Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to be "very enthusiastic" about voting, according to a Sept. 7 Gallup Poll.

Democrats have a 77-seat House edge and control 59 of 100 Senate votes.

In South Carolina, Spratt is running for re-election as budget deficits have become a campaign issue. His Republican rival, state lawmaker Michael "Mick" Mulvaney, has tried to tie him to broader Democratic policies, including the health care law, which Spratt supported. In turn, Spratt has focused on job creation.