Vern Buchanan may have better shot at chairing powerful House committee with Devin Nunes retiring

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan's odds of chairing the powerful House Ways and Means Committee if Republicans win back control of Congress increased Monday when his chief rival for the job announced he is leaving Congress.

With U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes departing elected office to run former President Donald Trump's new media company, Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, is now the senior Republican on Ways and Means.

Seniority often plays a big role in determining committee assignments, so Buchanan is in a prime position to seek the chairmanship if Republicans regain the majority, which is highly likely. Buchanan, who first was elected in 2006, said in April that he wants to chair the committee.

"As I indicated earlier this year, I will be running for the Ways and Means chairmanship," Buchanan said in a statement released Monday. "But my first priority is to help Republicans win back the U.S. House majority in 2022."

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Ways and Means is considered one of the top committee assignments because of the body’s jurisdiction over a vast and important array of issues, including taxes, trade and Medicare and Social Security. U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, the last Republican to chair Ways and Means, led the House effort to pass the 2017 tax cut bill, arguably Trump’s signature policy achievement.

Sarasota Republican Martin Hyde has filed to run against Buchanan, his first serious primary challenge since 2006 and another obstacle in his path the Ways and Means chair.

Follow Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. He can be reached at zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com