A retirement in New York and an Obama appointment boosted Rep. Bob Etheridge.
The Lillington Democrat was one of at least 20 members of Congress who hoped to snag one of two open seats on the 40-member House Ways and Means Committee next session.
One was vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Thomas Reynolds of New York; the other, by Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, who is leaving Congress to become President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff.
The positions are highly coveted because of the important role the committee plays in setting policies on taxes, health care and other major areas of policy.
Etheridge argued he should get the seat because North Carolina has not had a Democratic representative on the committee since 1953. He also benefited from a restructuring of the geographic regions the committee typically uses.
Previously, Rep. John Tanner of Tennessee had represented the region including his home state, the Carolinas, Alabama and Louisiana. The new region opened up a possible seat for North Carolina.
"We thought (North Carolina) was underrepresented," he said. "We made that argument to leadership ... and they were willing to listen."
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Re: How Etheridge got Ways and Means gig
I had a conversation with Congressman Etheridge before the election at the NC State brickyard. I gathered that reduced spending is not among his priorities. Nice guy though.