Issa Pushing To Lead GOP on House Oversight Panel
By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff
Californian Darrell Issa appears intent on locking down the ranking Republican slot on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after his leading rival for that post, Christopher Shays of Connecticut, lost his re-election bid last week.
Issa Wednesday released a letter in support of his bid from a pair of high-ranking GOP members of the panel.
“We believe that he is the best person to further the positions of the {Republican} Conference while acting as a counter to the Democratic committee chairman. This committee can be an effective tool for helping Republicans retake the majority, and Darrell Issa is the most able to represent our conference,” former Chairman Dan Burton of Indiana and John L. Mica of Florida wrote to Republican colleagues.
Though there are several lawmakers ahead of Issa in seniority, GOP aides said they had not heard of anyone stepping forward to run against him.
Issa bankrolled the successful 2003 effort to recall then-Gov. Gray Davis, which led to the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as California’s governor.
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