WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Rep. of Maryland announced Monday that he will run to become the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee next year, directly challenging fellow Democratic Rep. as the party prepares to fight a second Trump administration and an emboldened Republican majority.
"House Democrats must stand in the breach to defend the principles and institutions of constitutional democracy," Raskin wrote in a letter to colleagues. 鈥淭hat is our historic assignment now. We dare not fail.鈥�
Raskin said in the letter 鈥� obtained by The Associated Press 鈥� that he decided to run for the post after spending the week consulting with House Democrats and 鈥渆ngaging in serious introspection鈥� about where the party is following their stunning electoral defeat last month that handed Republicans control of Congress and the White House.
While currently the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Raskin said that come next year, the Judiciary Committee under his leadership would become "the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism" as well as other efforts by President and his allies to thwart the Constitution.
Being the face of the resistance against Trump is not new territory for Raskin who spent the last two years on Oversight as the most vocal defender of President and his family as they faced a sprawling Republican investigation 鈥� encouraged by Trump 鈥� into their various business affairs.
Raskin, who is a former constitutional law professor, also helped draft articles of impeachment against the incoming president for his encouragement of the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021, and led the impeachment prosecution in the Senate.
But by throwing his hat in the ring, Raskin is inviting what a bitter intra-party fight with Nadler, who is currently serving his 17th term in Congress and who has held the top spot on Judiciary since 2019. Democrats have over the years rarely broken from the seniority system for committee assignments, no matter how long someone has held a position, making the outcome of the race uncertain.
Both men did not respond to requests for comment but Raskin closed his letter by praising Nadler, saying that he made this decision 鈥渨ith respect and boundless admiration鈥� for him.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 lucky enough to be chosen for this responsibility in the 119th Congress, I will turn to Jerry first and throughout for his always wise counsel and political judgment,鈥� Raskin added.
Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press
