AASHTO Journal, 10 November 2016
The Nov. 8 congressional elections not only kept the U.S. House of Representatives under Republican control for two more years, but sent 49 of the 58 members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee back to Capitol Hill.
On the other side of the Capitol the GOP also retained control of the Senate, where several new members will take office in January.
House members winning re-election included T&I Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Shuster highlighted the need for Congress to focus on the nation’s infrastructure in the upcoming term. “I sit in a very prime spot as the chairman of the [House Transportation and Infrastructure] Committee, and I will be a big part of that discussion,” he said.
Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the committee’s ranking member, was likewise re-elected. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., the T&I Committee’s Railroads Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham fought back a tough challenge to win another term.
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla, lost his re-election attempt. The 12-term veteran and former T&I chairman had played a prominent role in transportation funding debates over the years and helped produce the MAP-21 surface transportation bill in 2012. Mica chairs the transportation panel of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee.
T&I member Cresent Hardy, R-Nev., also lost his race Nov. 8. Another member, Corinne Brown, D-Fla., lost before the general election in her district’s primary race. Six other committee members chose for various reasons not to run for re-election.
House transportation appropriator David Jolly, R-Fla., also lost his re-election bid.
A number of GOP senators in close races beat back strong challenges, to leave Republicans holding at least 51 seats and control of the chamber.
However, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., fell to Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a current member of Government Oversight’s transportation subcommittee. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., narrowly lost to her challenger, Gov. Maggie Hassan, in a race Ayotte conceded the next day.
Kirk’s committee assignments include a seat on Appropriations’ transportation panel. Ayotte chairs the aviation panel of the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee.
The race in Louisiana, to replace retiring Republican Sen. David Vitter, goes to a Dec. 10 runoff after no candidate won 50 percent of the vote.
New to the Senate will be Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind., a member of the Ways and Means Committee, who won that state’s open Senate seat being vacated by Republican Dan Coats. Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto won the Nevada open Senate seat vacated by retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen took the Maryland seat held by retiring Democrat Barbara Mikulski.