WASHINGTON — With the Nov. 3 elections two days away, House Democrats are already competing for two committee posts that will open in the next Congress: the top Democratic seats on the Agriculture Committee and the Small Business Committee. Whichever party wins the House, the winners will either chair those panels or lead the minority on them.
On Agriculture, Rep. Jim Costa of California formally announced his bid on Oct. 29 in a letter to colleagues, Agri-Pulse reported. He faces Rep. Shontel Brown of Ohio, the committee’s vice ranking member, who has been running since September with the backing of the panel’s current top Democrat.
The seat is open because Ranking Member Angie Craig of Minnesota is leaving the House after losing her bid for the Senate seat held by Tina Smith. Craig has endorsed Brown, according to the Red River Farm Network.
Costa’s pitch: experience
Costa, 74, has served in the House since 2005 and is the top Democrat on the Agriculture subcommittee on livestock, dairy and poultry. In his letter, he said he has helped write three farm bills and pledged to “keep farmers farming, keep families fed,” according to the Tri-State Livestock News.
It is Costa’s second run for the post. He lost to Craig in the 2024 contest for ranking member, Agri-Pulse reported.
Brown’s pitch: a new generation and SNAP
Brown laid out her case in a letter to colleagues dated Sept. 24. She wrote that the “Farm Bill is three years overdue” and organized her platform around affordability, accountability and coalition-building, with an emphasis on protecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Her letter also blames the administration for higher farm costs, arguing that the war with Iran has pushed up diesel prices ahead of harvest and that tariffs have raised expenses for growers. The Agriculture Department, which oversees farm programs and SNAP, was asked to respond to those criticisms for this story.
Small Business: Cisneros and Davids
The top Democratic seat on the Small Business Committee is opening because Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York, who has led the panel’s Democrats since 1998, is retiring, Roll Call reported.
Rep. Gil Cisneros of California announced first, the Washington Sun reported Sept. 16. Cisneros has said he wants more oversight of the Small Business Administration, noting that the agency’s administrator has testified before the committee only once.
Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas entered the race the same day with a letter to colleagues citing her six years of service on the committee. If chosen, she would be the first Native American woman to chair a House committee. Davids is not a current member of the panel, and the Washington Sun reported that because House Democratic Caucus rules limit the chair race to committee members, it is unclear whether she would need permission from the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to run. She served on the committee from 2019 to 2025.
The bigger picture
The two races are part of a broader reshuffling. If Democrats win the House, Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Robert Garcia of California and Jim Himes of Connecticut are in line to lead the Judiciary, Oversight and Intelligence committees, Just The News reported Oct. 31.
Republicans have their own leadership questions. President Donald Trump has endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson to continue leading the House Republican Conference, calling him a “true friend, fighter, and WINNER,” and Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio have been mentioned as possible candidates for minority leader if Republicans lose the majority, according to Just The News.
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