A fight is taking shape in the House for control of a powerful committee chairmanship — with a militant MAGA lawmaker going against a vice chair who faces one of the toughest re-election battles of his life.
According to Meredith Lee Hill of Politico, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) "announce[d] his bid to chair the House Armed Services Committee next Congress," which puts him in conflict with Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), who currently serves as vice chair.
Wittman has rarely faced serious competition in his district, but a tide of voter anger in Virginia has put him in a tough race — even after Democrats' efforts to redraw his seat were turned back for now by the state Supreme Court.
Further complicating the issue for Republicans, Hill noted, is the fact that "Jackson here also assumes there will be a GOP majority next year."
The Armed Services Committee is currently chaired by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), not to be confused with the former congressman of the same name currently running for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
Jackson, a former U.S. Navy rear admiral who previously served as a White House physician under multiple presidents, is a hard-right ally of President Donald Trump. He was Trump's initial pick to replace disgraced Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin in 2018, but withdrew his name after allegations surfaced of heavy drinking on the job and handing out pills to government employees.
