Dec. 9—Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury officially entered the race for ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee Monday after teasing a run for the job last week.
The Committee considers legislation related to energy production, mining, public lands, Native Americans and irrigation — all crucial for New Mexico. A ranking member leads the minority members of a committee, while a committee chair is a member of the majority party who heads the committee.
Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., led the Committee for the last decade and recommended Stansbury for the job last week. She also has endorsements from two other members of Congress, at least four Pueblo leaders and two unions.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., is also jockeying for the position and has support from at least 23 House Democrats, including several members of the Natural Resources panel.