10/29/2006

Op-Ed

Committee helps boost Bouchard bid

By George Weeks
Syndicated columnist

Michigan is not at play in the midterm election drama of whether Democrats will seize control of the U.S. House by engineering a 15-seat shift. There likely will still be nine Republicans and six Democrats in our delegation next year.

But Senate Republican campaign chair Elizabeth Dole insists that Michigan will be pivotal in the battle for rule there because the party is "pulling out all stops" to help Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard defeat Sen. Debbie Stabenow, thus raising the number of GOP seats that the Democrats need to win control from six to seven.

Dole said the National Republican Senatorial Committee was sending another $350,000 to Bouchard's campaign for more TV ads, bringing the NRSC's total spending here to $1.2 million.

But if Democrats rule the Senate, it will mean an even higher profile for Sen. Carl Levin, who becomes chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In speculation about a Democratic-ruled House, most of the Michigan focus has been on possible return of the legendary John Dingell of Dearborn, dean of the House and a towering power even in the minority, as chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee, and of pugnacious Rep. John Conyers of Detroit chairing the Judiciary Committee.

Six-term Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, who has close ties to Dingell, also serves on the Energy & Commerce Committee. He's the ranking Democrat on its Oversight & Investigations subcommittee and once was selected to deliver his party's response on gas prices to one of President George W. Bush's weekly radio addresses.

He would be in a high-profile position if he were to become the subcommittee chairman.

Seven-term Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, has one of the Michigan delegation's highest profile roles as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He has a good working relationship with the committee's ranking Democrat, and that likely would continue if their roles were reversed.

Eight-term Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, is sixth in seniority among 24 Republicans on the powerful House Ways & Means Committee and chairs its Select Revenue Measures subcommittee.

Camp is on a GOP steering committee that recommends to the speaker who should be assigned to what committees and is a deputy majority whip. Come January, he could be a deputy minority whip.

George Weeks retired this year after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.