Deferential bids in motion to replace Cummings as Oversight chair

WASHINGTON — The race to replace the late representative Elijah Cummings as chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee is already quietly underway, with nearly half a dozen Democrats considering bids to replace him.

The potentially divisive contest — set to turn on questions of seniority, diversity and effectiveness — will determine which Democrat will inherit a lead role in the ongoing impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump as one of three chairmen jointly directing the investigation.

The candidates range from the most senior to more junior Democrats on the panel, represent a mix of genders and races, and have focused on different areas of the panel’s work, from citizenship and census matters to its current investigations into Trump’s administration and business dealings.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., is serving as acting chair of the committee, as its most senior Democratic member, and she said in a brief interview Friday that she intends to seek the gavel on a permanent basis.

Like others, she declined to speak in detail about the contours of her bid out of respect for Cummings’ death last week. But she is likely to point to her recent history of legislative victories — such as permanently reauthorizing a victims compensation fund for those who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks — as well as her long service on the panel and leadership on census issues culminating in a successful effort to keep a citizenship question off the 2020 census form.

But other members of the panel say they believe they have a stronger case for becoming the face of Congress’ top watchdog panel during a once-in-ageneration impeachment standoff with the president.

According to people familiar with their plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, Reps. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., and Jackie Speier, D-Calif., both plan to launch bids to succeed Cummings as Oversight chair. Both declined to comment.

Connolly has more seniority on the panel than Speier. He also sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, which is also engaged in the impeachment probe.

But Speier has more seniority in the House overall and was selected by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., to sit on the House Intelligence Committee, which has taken a firstamong-equals role in the impeachment inquiry.