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Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) won a Democratic Policy and Leadership Committee vote Monday to succeed Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) as the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, making him advance to a full Democratic Caucus vote.
Huffman won the committee vote, despite Grijalva’s endorsement of Rep. Melanie Stansbury (DN.M.), the top Democrat on the panel’s oversight subcommittee, for the role.
“Natural resources have been my top priority since coming to Congress 12 years ago. It’s my life’s work (water, wildlife, fisheries, public lands, tribal issues) and what I know and love most.” Huffman said in a statement after the vote. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get the job done. to protect our precious natural resources, lift up tribal and frontline communities, and lead us as a team to effectively fight back against Trump’s Project 2025 agenda and ensure that we recover the Chamber”.
Huffman announced that he would challenge Grijalva’s leadership last month came after Grijalva, who has been the committee’s top Democrat since 2015, said he would try to stay in office until 2026. However, Grijalva, who was often absent from votes on 2024 due to cancer treatments, he backed out soon after. and announced that he would pave the way for new leadership.
Grijalva has announced it will withdraw after his 12th term, which he won this year.
The vote is not the final step for Huffman to assume leadership, but it acts as a recommendation to the full Democratic caucus leading up to committee leadership votes on Tuesday.
Grijalva is one of two senior Democrats who voluntarily left their positions on committees in the new Congress. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.) announced that he would relinquish leadership of the House Judiciary Committee to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). Losses in the 2024 election have spurred calls for new, younger leadership, with the two ranking members retiring so far aged over 75.
