Carter 'Definitely Interested' in Bidding for Top GOP House Communications Seat
The nascent Republican leadership race to succeed retiring House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) is scrambling expectations as to who will hold the GOP's top seat on the House Communications Subcommittee in the next Congress, lobbyists and observers told us. Environment Subcommittee Chairman Buddy Carter, R-Ga., confirmed to us Thursday he’s interested in House Communications’ lead GOP seat, but other lawmakers are too. There’s even more uncertainty about what Republican will lead the delegation on the Senate Communications Subcommittee in the next Congress as ranking member John Thune (S.D.) is a likely contender to succeed Mitch McConnell (Ky.) as the party's chamber leader.
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Carter and any other contenders would be battling for House Communications leadership as an open seat regardless of whether current Chairman Bob Latta of Ohio succeeds in his bid to become top Commerce Republican. Latta was already set to relinquish the Communications gavel at the end of this Congress because GOP caucus rules limit committee and subcommittee party leaders to three terms, regardless of whether they served as chair or ranking member. Latta became Communications ranking member in 2019. His shift to chairman at the beginning of this Congress was in slight doubt immediately after the November 2022 election because he could wield the gavel for just one term (see 2211170089).
Latta was mum in recent interviews about who he wants to replace him as lead Communications Republican. “We have great people who serve on” House Communications who can easily take over, but “I would never get into” tipping a preferred successor because that’s Rodgers’ “prerogative,” Latta told us before the Commerce chair’s retirement announcement in early February (see 2402080063). At that time, Latta cited the precedent of former House Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., who won the role after the 2016 election as the incumbent Communications leader (see 1612020043).
Carter told us he’s “definitely interested” in succeeding Latta at House Communications but is also eyeing the Health Subcommittee slot. Current Health Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., is challenging Latta for the top House Commerce role. There’s “no question” it would be great to lead Communications, but “I’m also extremely interested” in healthcare policy issues, Carter said. If selected as Communications leader, he would pursue a range of issues “we have been unable to address” in this Congress. These include broad consumer privacy legislation and revamping or repealing Communications Decency Act Section 230.
Reshuffle?
Some lobbyists see Carter as a leading contender to succeed Latta because until late January the Georgia lawmaker was House Communications vice chair, a frequent steppingstone to the gavel. Carter relinquished the No. 2 spot when handed the Environment gavel after the January resignation of ex-Chairman Bill Johnson, R-Ohio. Carter led work last year on the House Commerce-cleared American Broadband Deployment Act (HR-3557), a Republican-led connectivity package permitting revamp measures (see 2305240069). He’s also lead co-sponsor of the Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval that would undo the FCC’s digital discrimination order (H.J.Res. 107).
Carter’s moves on HR-3557 and H.J.Res. 107 “seem to imply that he is vying" to lead House Communications, said Digital Progress Institute President Joel Thayer. “It’s an odd move to me for someone like” Carter to put in the effort on H.J. Res. 107, which “you know will almost certainly not survive” the Senate and a likely Biden administration veto, “unless you’re trying to make a political point and demonstrate where you want the subcommittee to go.”
Guthrie wouldn’t rule out being a potential contender to take over as lead Republican at Communications if Latta prevails over him in the Commerce leadership race. However, Guthrie noted he still qualifies for another two-year term at Health, either as chair or ranking member. Guthrie co-chairs the Congressional Spectrum Caucus and is a former Communications member. He has in recent years been involved in negotiations aimed at reaching a deal on a comprehensive spectrum legislative package. Guthrie also eyed how to ensure the Chips and Science Act’s funding to bolster the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing industry goes to domestic entities (see 2303290074).
“I would prefer to” remain lead Republican at Health for another term, but “if I’m not the chairman it would be up to” whoever prevails in succeeding Rodgers to make subpanel head appointments, Guthrie told us. The House Communications slot is something “I would be interested in” if a leadership reshuffling happens. He cited a range of telecom and tech issues he would prioritize in the next Congress, including spectrum matters.
Wildcards
House Communications member John Joyce, R-Pa., is a potential wildcard for succeeding Latta despite joining the subcommittee just last year. Joyce's opportunity comes because many House Commerce members are retiring at the end of this Congress, lobbyists said. Joyce told us he’s “looking at all options” to join House Commerce subpanels’ leadership, including on Communications. Joyce is also a Health member, but there are always more contenders to lead that subpanel than Communications, lobbyists said. He has been boning up on telecom and energy issues in hopes of rising to leadership, lobbyists said.
Other wildcard GOP contenders include Innovation Subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis (Fla.), Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith (Va.) and Rep. Neal Dunn (Fla.). Bilirakis has been lead Republican on Innovation and the predecessor Consumer Protection Subcommittee since 2021 but could choose to shift to Communications in the next Congress if he doesn’t want to lead his current subpanel for another term, lobbyists said. Griffith and Dunn are further down in seniority than Bilirakis but haven’t talked about their preferences, lobbyists said.
“I don’t know how” the GOP leadership race on House Communications “is going to work out” given the high number of Commerce retirements, said subpanel ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif. She praised Guthrie and said they “work well together” on spectrum but wasn’t sure whether he would have an inside track to become Communications’ lead Republican given the high membership turnover. “There’s going to be a lot of new people” on Communications regardless of whether the Republicans or Democrats win the House majority in November, Matsui predicted.
It's going to be hard to accurately assess which Republicans want the House Communications leadership “until we know exactly how” the lower chamber “is going to be shaping up” in the next Congress, Thayer said. Republicans’ chances of retaining their House majority after the November election are “not looking good” right now and if they lose, that could “shake up” the leadership sweepstakes. “That’s going to be a deciding factor” after November, Thayer added. “Do you really want to take on those roles when you might not be in charge? I think that’s part of why” Rodgers is retiring.