11/21/2024 --axios
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) will announce Monday whether he is challenging Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Should he jump in, it would be the latest in a series of challenges against septuagenarian committee leaders by relatively younger Democrats vowing to put up a more vigorous fight against the Trump administration.Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said Wednesday he is running to unseat Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) as the ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee.Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) formally announced Thursday morning that he is running to unseat Agriculture Committee chair David Scott (D-Ga.).What we're hearing: Raskin has not given any public indication he plans to run, and he is fond of his work on the Oversight Committee, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.Two House Democrats told Axios that Raskin, the 61-year-old current Oversight Committee ranking member, has discussed the idea with colleagues in recent days."I spoke to Jamie and he hadn't made a decision," said one of the lawmakers on Thursday morning.Zoom in: Raskin, a former star Jan. 6 committee member, has faced a strong push to run from colleagues, the source familiar with the matter said.Nadler has been seen by some Democrats as ill-suited to lead the key panel into the Trump administration.Raskin's thinking was first reported by Punchbowl News.Yes, but: Nadler, 77, wouldn't go down without a fight. "I pledge to stand as a bulwark against the MAGA Majority's dangerous agenda," he said in a letter to colleagues on Wednesday announcing his bid for reelection.He added: "As a New Yorker, I have stood up to Donald Trump my entire career."Zoom out: Raskin was a Judiciary member in the 117th Congress, but stepped off last year to serve as House Oversight Committee ranking member while undergoing cancer treatment.Raskin's cancer has since gone into remission, and he has been seen as one of the more energetic Democratic committee leaders over the last two years.Raskin will make his intentions clear in a letter to fellow Democrats, Axios is told.Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context.
