In a Tuesday video posted to X, a clearly shaken and bitter-sounding far-left Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-CD-1) held back tears, announcing that she had failed to secure a committee leadership role in the House Committee on Natural Resources, losing by default to Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) after she quit the race before the vote.
“On Tuesday, Stansbury withdrew from the race, leading to a unanimous vote by the full Democratic caucus in support of Huffman,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
According to Axios, “House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee voted to recommend Huffman for the role, according to sources familiar with the matter,” adding, “The choice still has to be approved at House Democrats’ full caucus meeting – though steering picks are rarely rejected in those votes.”
In an X video, Stansbury whined that she “spent literally my entire career working at the nexus between the environment, social justice, and our communities.”
“And there were three contested races, and three women ran, including myself. And one of the reasons I ran is because in the 220 years there has been a public lands committee, there has never been a woman in charge. But unfortunately, one, only one woman won [a] leadership race today — that was Angie Craig — who won the ag race.”
Stansbury earned the endorsement of outgoing Natural Resources Ranking Member Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), who is a socialist, along with all members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation except Sen. Martin Heinrich, who refused to back her in the contest.
Heinrich is actively mulling a run for the governorship, while Joe Biden’s Interior Sec. Deb Haaland is setting the groundwork for a formal launch after she falls from power in January when the Donald J. Trump administration is inaugurated.