Frank Pallone

A new report from the Census Bureau indicates that New Jersey is likely to lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in time for the 2012 elections.  That will offer numerous redistricting options for mapmakers after the 2010 census.  Over the coming weeks, PolitickerNJ.com will offer some of our own maps to demonstrate some potential scenarios as New Jersey moves from thirteen congressional districts to twelve.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) will keep his powerful Health Subcommittee chairmanship

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) will remain as the chairman of House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health after an agreement announced today by Henry Waxman and John Dingell.  Dingell had hinted that he might challenge Pallone for the powerful subcommittee post after losing the full committee chairmanship to Waxman last month.

Marian Pallone, the mother of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, passed away on Wednesday.  A lifelong resident of Long Branch, she was a long time Monmouth County Democratic Committeewoman and an active member of the Long Branch Democratic Party. 

She played a role in the campaigns of her son for Long Branch Councilman, State Senator, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

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John Dingell, ousted as chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, is reportedly mulling a challenge to Frank Pallone for the Health Subcommittee chair

Most New Jersey Congressmen won’t comment on the potential chairmanship fight for the influential Health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. For the past two years, that subcommittee has been chaired by New Jerseyan Frank Pallone.

Last week, Pallone played a role in the ouster of John Dingell, the 82-year-old longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman. Dingell, a Congressman since 1955, lost to Henry Waxman in a vote of the House Democratic Caucus. Now Dingell may want a consolation prize: Pallone’s subcommittee chairmanship.

Only Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee have a vote on the matter, and the only New Jersey Congressman who’s also on that committee, Mike Ferguson is a Republican who’s retiring at the end of the session.

But, although their support wouldn’t translate into a vote, there’s no reason to doubt that most of the delegation would back Pallone. Six of the seven other Democrats (including incoming U.S. Rep. John Adler) last week supported Waxman -- only one New Jerseyan, Rob Andrews, supported Dingell, and worked as a whip for his reelection effort. Andrews has not had a particularly friendly relationship with Pallone since he challenged U. S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in a primary this year.

So would Andrews back Dingell if it came down to it? His spokesman, Francis Tagmire, kept the answer vague.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) could face a challenge for his subcommittee chairmanship from outgoing Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.)

There is speculation that ousted House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell will challenge Frank Pallone for the Health Subcommittee chairmanship, according to a report in The Hill. Pallone has played a key role in the campaign of helping Henry Waxman defeat Dingell by fifteen votes last Thursday.  Pallone is prepared to mount a campaign to keep his post against a Dingell challenge, according to a source familiar with his thinking.  

The full committee decides subcommittee chairmanships, which then must be approved by the Democratic Steering Committee.  An early vote tally is difficult, since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet filled two oen seats on the panel.  And because Democrats picked up at least 21 seats in the general election earlier this month, it's possible that the majority party could hold more than their current number of seats, 31.

Last week's fight between Henry Waxman and John Dingell for chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce committee also featured a less visible battle waged by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone -- only the latest in a series of moves to effectively position himself for a potential promotion to the Senate.

Soon after the election, Pallone joined Waxman's whip operation to take on the automakers' leading advocate in Congress in what appeared to be a long shot, unprecedented challenge to the seniority system. It was a gutsy move that paid off. His support was largely under the radar, but it's the kind of step that will get observers in Washington to take him more seriously.

Working against Pallone was Rob Andrews, who whipped votes for Dingell. Just as in his primary senate challenge to Frank Lautenberg, none of his colleagues from the state delegation backed him in that effort. Most insiders no longer consider Andrews a serious contender for Senate.

That currently leaves U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman as Pallone's most likely serious opponent for the seat. Rothman was an early supporter of Barack Obama and served as his campaign's Northeast Regional co-chairman, while Pallone was a high-profile Hillary Clinton supporter. But Rothman's greatest advantage may be that he hails from the 9th Congressional District which includes portions of Bergen and Hudson counties -- the Democratic party base.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone will become more powerful with the victory of Henry Waxman in the race for House Energy and Commerce Chairman

Henry Waxman defeated John Dingell by 15 votes today to win the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most powerful posts in Congress.  One of the big winners of the day was New Jersey’s Frank Pallone, who played a key role in Waxman’s successful insider effort.  Pallone, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, is likely to have expanded clout under Waxman.   Sources suggest that seven of eight New Jersey House Democrats backed Waxman; Rob Andrews was a whip in Dingell’s losing bid for re-election.

There is some irony to Andrews’ role in helping to re-elect an 82-year-old chairman who has been elected to Congress 27 times, considering his own challenge to 84-year-old incumbent Frank Lautenberg in the 2008 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.  Dingell was in Congress for 27 years before Lautenberg won his campaign.

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U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is expected to receive substantial support from New Jersey Congressmen in his bid for House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman

Today, in his first major vote as an incoming member of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Adler is expected to support Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) for Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to sources with close ties to Camden County Democrat.  Waxman is challenging longtime chairman John Dingell, an 82-year-old Michigan Democrat who has served in Congress since 1955. 

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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.), a Congressman since 1955, has the backing of New Jersey's Rob Andrews

Two New Jersey Congressmen are at opposite ends of a intra-party battle for the the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most powerful posts in Congress.  Rob Andrews is working for incumbent John Dingell, an 82-year-old Michigan Democrat who has served in Congress since 1955.  Frank Pallone, who is chairman of the Health Subcommittee, is part of the whip team for Dingell's challenger, Henry Waxman, 69, an 18-term Congressman from California who is the second ranking member of the panel.  Today, Waxman won the support of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, defeating Dingell 25-22.  The full House Democratic conference will pick between the two on Thursday.

The Energy and Commerce Committee oversees legislation on health care, climate change regulations, and good and drug regulations.  Dingell has staunchly opposed Waxman's efforts to impose more stringent fuel efficiency standards on Michigan automakers.