Engel gets near-unanimous support for leadership bid on Foreign Affairs panel

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) announced Friday that he has garnered the support of nine out of 10 Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee for his bid to replace defeated Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) as the top Democrat on the panel.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) is the only reelected Democrat who hasn't endorsed Engel in his race against Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who defeated Berman in a bitter intra-party race. American Samoa Del. Eni Faleomavaega (D) is also running for the spot. 

“I am honored by the show of support I have received from my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee,” Engel said in a statement Friday. “I owe a debt of gratitude to them for their trust and their respect.

“Having the people whose opinions on foreign policy I respect greatly rally behind my efforts to become Ranking Member is humbling. For the last several years, Howard Berman has been our leader on the Committee, and the loss of his expertise on foreign policy will be felt throughout the Congress. I plan to carry on in his tradition.”

The ranking member on the panel's subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Engel vowed to “provide a steady, consensus-driven style reflective of all voices in our party, and to work in a bipartisan manner whenever possible.”

"The bottom line is our committee needs to be focused on promoting American interests around the world, supporting our allies, confronting our enemies and investigating incidents whenever they arise," he said.

Engels's backers include Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Albio Sires (D-N.J.), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.).

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