Congressional Delegations

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.

Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) on Wednesday announced the endorsement of 11 out of 14 Republicans in his bid to replace term-limited Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) atop the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Ed’s commendable performance as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade gives us great confidence in making this recommendation to you,” the members wrote to the Steering Committee. “As chairman, he would continue to effectively challenge harmful Obama Administration foreign policies, especially concerning terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction proliferation. Ed has helped secure loose shoulder-fired missiles from terrorists, bolster relations with allies, and bring to justice international terrorists and war criminals.


“Having seen Ed’s work up close, we believe that he would work hard and effectively as chairman to understand and represent our interests, and those of the Caucus. He has won our trust by being a team player over many years.”

Kerry is said to have been gunning instead for the position of Secretary of State, to replace retiring Hilary Clinton.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) can count on an unusual source of support in his race against Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) to become the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee: Republicans.

While GOP lawmakers on the panel aren't publicly weighing in on the leadership race, several had privately hoped Rep. Howard Berman, the current ranking member, would beat Sherman in their member-vs.-member matchup for California's redrawn 30th congressional district in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley.

Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), the favorite to take over as chairman next year, publicly endorsed Berman, who lost on Election Day, raising the specter of a bitterly divided panel if both Royce and Sherman win their leadership races.

“If Sherman wins the chair and so does Royce it could make for an interesting dynamic in the committee,” a House Republican aide told The Hill, unprompted.

Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) officially threw their hats in the ring Thursday for the top Democratic spot on the House Foreign Affairs Committee after Sherman defeated ranking member Howard Berman Tuesday in the race for California's redrawn 30th Congressional District.

Sherman is one rank ahead of Engel in terms of seniority. Engel is more powerful with Democratic leaders, several of whom backed Berman over Sherman.

Tuesday night's defeat of the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs panel portends a bitter intra-party fight to succeed him.

Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) lost decisively to fellow incumbent Brad Sherman in California's redrawn 30th district, despite having the tacit support of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the formal endorsement of the House's No. 2 Democrat, Steny Hoyer (Md.). 

Democratic leaders must now decide whether to support Sherman or the expected rival bid from Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who is right behind Sherman in terms of seniority and is widely seen as the favorite to win the coveted ranking member spot.

Adding to the confusion, American Samoa Del. Eni Faleomavaega has also vowed to run. He says he's next in line for the top spot by seniority, even though he's considered a long shot because he can't vote in the full House.

“Regardless of my status as a Delegate, I am the only Asian-Pacific American to serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and I am the first Asian-Pacific American in the history of the U.S. Congress to chair the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific,” Faleomavaega wrote in an op-ed for The Hill earlier this year. “So should the people of American Samoa vote me back in office and should I be the most senior Democrat in line, I will seek the top position on the Foreign Affairs Committee because, like Rosa Parks, I do not believe the disenfranchised should be asked to move to the back of the bus to make way for those who are more privileged or well-funded.”

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen told the House Republican Steering Committee Royce is “a proven leader who has provided valuable input.”

Elizabeth Warren's projected victory over incumbent Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) puts a damper on Sen. John Kerry's chances of taking the secretary of State job in a second Obama administration.

Warren was ahead of Brown 52 percent to 48 percent with 38 percent of precincts reporting, the third seat projected to switch from Republican to Democratic hands Tuesday night. Her victory leaves Brown, a popular moderate Republican, in a strong position to win a special election next year that would result if Kerry were to leave the Senate.

Kerry is rumored to want to succeed current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has said she would only serve one term. But he has denied it, saying he's happy in his role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Other potential candidates for the post if Obama wins reelection include U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon. Obama could still decide to give Kerry the post if Democrats win several Senate seats Tuesday night and add to their pre-election 53-47 advantage.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was projected to win a second term, as expected, Tuesday evening, putting him on track to become the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations panel next year following the primary defeat of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.).

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said in Jerusalem on Friday that the world needs to work together to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran and said failing to achieve this would be tantamount to sending Jews "back to the gas chambers."

"I have a problem with the approach that says 'Israel will take care of the Iranian threat,' " Franks said at the International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation convention in Jerusalem, according to Israel National News.