McHugh plans to run for top Armed Services slot

Rep. John McHugh (N.Y.) has announced his intention to run to become the leading Republican member on the Armed Services Committee in the next Congress.

In a letter sent to colleagues on Monday, McHugh noted his experience as both the chairman of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Panel and the head of the Armed Services Military Personnel subcommittee.

{mosads}“[The] role of the House Armed Services Committee must be to properly balance our military as the most flexible, capable and agile force of the 21st century,” McHugh wrote.

“With those challenges in mind, the committee must be led by a person who understands that we are a nation at war against a determined enemy,” he wrote.

The slot will be open because both Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the current ranking member, and Jim Saxton (N.J.), the next most senior Republican on the panel, are retiring after this term.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), the current chairman of the Armed Services Seapower and Expeditionary Forces subcommittee, had previously announced he would also seek the post.

“The primary role should be visionary, looking where we are going,” Bartlett told The Hill on Wednesday.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), a member of both the Armed Services and Select Intelligence committees, has also expressed his interest in the slot, his spokesman, George Rasley, said.

Rasley said Thornberry had spoken to colleagues and to GOP leaders about becoming the leading Republican on Armed Services but that he believed the race should begin in earnest after the election.

Given the vote margin Democrats hold in the House and the number of open seats Republicans will have to defend due to retirements, the position the three are competing for will most likely be ranking member rather than committee chairman. Nevertheless, serving as the leading Republican on the committee would likely raise the public profile of any of the three.

If reelected, both McHugh and Bartlett would be serving in their ninth terms in office next Congress.

Thornberry is a class behind; he would be serving in his eighth term if reelected.

But seniority is not the only factor members consider when picking committee leaders. In fact, fundraising prowess has taken on more importance in recent years within the conference.

On that score, Thornberry holds a clear advantage over either Bartlett or McHugh. The Texas Republican had given $105,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) by the end of 2007, the latest figure available from CQMoneyLine. Bartlett had yet to contribute to the NRCC. McHugh also had not given to the committee, but had contributed $4,500 to other candidates.

Thornberry also donated more to the NRCC during the last cycle. He gave $115,000 compared to the $55,000 Bartlett and the $50,000 McHugh donated to the NRCC, according to CQMoneyLine figures.
Bartlett and McHugh both seem to be counting on their experience carrying the day.

“In my 15 years on the committee, my attendance, deep involvement and dedication to the committee’s work and goal of strengthening America’s armed forces are well-known, unwavering and unquestioned,” Bartlett wrote to colleagues in a November letter announcing his intentions.

After the election, the 27-member GOP steering committee will vote on who should take over as the leading Republican on Armed Services and other committees. The nomination is then put before the entire conference, which usually ratifies the steering committee’s recommendation.

Ian Swanson and Jackie Kucinich contributed to this report.