Mike Conaway of Texas, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said he began the footwork last year to succeed Frank Lucas as chairman of the Agriculture Committee in 2015. Lucas is in his sixth year as chairman, the final year allowed under Republican rules. The GOP steering committee will decide an chairmanships after the mid-term elections.
Conaway, who also chairs a premiere Agriculture subcommittee, said he wanted to be committee chairman because agriculture is important in his district. Conservative Steve King of Iowa said he was considering a bid for the chairmanship. King has more seniority on the committee than Conaway. So do Randy Neugebauer of Texas and Mike Rogers of Alabama but tenure is not the decisive factor.
Lucas said, “It would appear I will be a subcommittee chairman somewhere in the coming Congress…By the way, I’ll never leave the Agriculture Committee.” Lucas also is a member of the Financial Services and Science committees.
Senate Agriculture chairwoman Stabenow said “I have every intention of keeping the chairmanship” in the next session. Lucas credited Stabenow for “the most concentrated form of political tenacity” in getting the 2014 farm bill enacted.