Stump will be moving over from the top spot on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, where he, too, is term-limited. But after sizing up his chances and discussing his future with the House leadership, Chambliss elected to remain in the House. That spared the GOP the extra headache of defending a difficult open seat. While no one has suggested that Chambliss was promised the top Budget spot, he clearly came away from his discussions with leadership convinced that it would be worth his while to stay in the House. But while Chambliss may have won loyalty points for staying in the House, the fact that his district is so competitive could also hurt him.
Leadership usually prefers choosing chairmen from safe districts.
The Georgia lawmaker has been doling out cash through his leadership PAC, the Common Sense Leadership Fund. And Chambliss stayed busy legislatively during the August recess. Though seniority is not the sole determinant of who becomes chairman, it does still play a large role in the selection process, and while Chambliss is the vice chairman of the committee, Nussle has more seniority. Not only is he the most senior, he's also the most-qualified. Nussle's bid has been more low-profile than Chambliss' throughout the process, and he has been following the party line that there are no real races until after Election Day.