California Rep. Jared Huffman will challenge longtime House Natural Resources top Democrat Raúl Grijalva of Arizona for the committee’s ranking member position.
Huffman’s announcement, made in a letter to colleagues Wednesday morning, ends months of speculation about his plans. The challenge comes one day after Grijalva’s return to Congress after being sidelined for months during a battle with lung cancer.
While some members have privately grumbled about Grijalva’s extended absence from Congress and committee work, Huffman may still face an uphill climb in convincing colleagues to switch their leader.
Huffman argued that “effective committee work led by our Ranking Members will be critical to limiting the damage from Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, advancing our affirmative agenda, bolstering members in tough districts, and drawing contrasts that enable Democrats to reclaim the House majority in 2026 or sooner and make Hakeem Jeffries Speaker of the House.”
