House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) will remain in that position rather than attempting to succeed Paul Ryan as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Nunes’s decision sets up a one-on-one race between Representative Kevin Brady (R., Texas) and Representative Pat Tiberi (R., Ohio). Nunes pulled himself out of contention at Ryan’s request. “After careful reflection and in light of the Speaker’s wish for me to continue this important role, I have decided to remain Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee,” he wrote in a statement. “As we move forward under the leadership of Speaker Ryan, it will be important to complete the good work we have done on an intelligence authorization bill and to get cybersecurity legislation passed to the President’s desk.”
Tiberi has long been a close ally of outgoing House speaker John Boehner, which could boost his candidacy among some Republicans. Brady’s efforts to maintain the sequestration budget caps imposed in 2011 could lead fiscal hawks to rally to his side.