Dingell Loses Chairmanship Of Powerful House Panel To Waxman

November 20, 2008 11:58 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A day after gaining the support of a House leadership panel, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) narrowly won the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee against the longest-serving member of the House.

The House Democratic Caucus voted 137-122 to elect Waxman as chair. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, first held the position of Energy and Commerce chair in 1981. He led the committee for 14 years before again becoming chairman in 2007.

Waxman, the energy panel's second-ranking member, won the endorsement of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Wednesday. The panel voted 25-22, "a good showing" for Dingell "based on the make up of the committee," members of the whip team for Dingell's re-election said in a conference call the same day.

Waxman's ascension as chair is the latest in his rivalry with Dingell that spans decades. The California congressman, who was chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform panel this Congress, is a prominent liberal who has criticized Dingell for opposing stronger vehicle emissions regulation.

Dingell, 82, has drawn criticisms over his ties to the auto industry; the top three contributors to his 2006 re-election bid were General Motors, Ford and Daimler/Chrysler, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.