There is an opening back in Washington DC on the House Appropriations committee on the Republican side. That opening has prompted quite a battle for the seat, one that could possibly land in CO. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of the 4th District is one of the names being floated around according to numerous outlets. Should Marilyn get it, the state would likely benefit significantly. As of right now, Sen. Wayne Allard is the only Coloradoan in either body on an appropriations committee and he is retiring. On the Senate side, it would appear unlikely that either Ken Salazar or Allard's replacement would get a seat on the powerful approps cmte.
What sets approps cmte seats apart form all other cmte's is that it is the only one to deal with every agency and it is the cmte that actually spends the money. Agencies always take note when an appropriator calls. In fact some agencies have 2 sets of Congressional relations folks, one set for approriators and one set for the rest of the members. Many members use an approps seat to direct funding away from other delegations priorities and to their own, so an appropriator from your state can help protect the states needs. The loss of Allard will be felt as Campbell held that seat prior and so Colorado has not been without an appropriator for quite a while. Also, you may have noticed that lately the majority of appropriations occur in a big omnibus bill at the end of each year. An appropriator has a seat for those negotiations and that can be huge for a state. A state without one, is basically left in the cold. For a small state like Colorado with a small delegation, that can be doubly dangerous.
Not only would the state benefit, but Musgrave herself would benefit also. While I believe theat the direct reelection benefits are overstated (how many voters really vote based upon something like a cmte assignment), I do think it is a great help in fundraising and the ability to earmark. Appropriators get more earmarks than non-appropriators as a general rule. Earmarks can be a double edged sword at times, but for someone who wants to use them, the best place to be is on an approps cmte.
However, Marilyn faces stiff competition. Her opponents according to public reports are Tom Cole (OK) who is the National Republican Congressional Committee chair, Jeff Flake (AZ) a noted fighter of all earmarks and a favorite of Congressional reformers, and Dave Reichert (WA) who like Musgrave had a very difficult reelection in 2006. This will be an interesting decision to follow.
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