Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) will be the assistant Democratic leader in the 116th Congress come January, bolstering the political bona fides of the six-termer, whose 3rd Congressional District includes the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Luján confirmed the news in a Twitter post late Wednesday.
It is a relatively low-ranking leadership post — fourth after speaker of the House, in the Democrat-controlled Congress set to gavel in Jan. 3 — but a step up from Luján’s last party role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Luján had some early competition for his new role in the caucus from Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.), but ultimately won out in the intra-party scramble.
A reliable vote for Los Alamos, Luján will be New Mexico’s longest-tenured congressperson next session. New Mexico Governor-elect Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) will leave the chamber after defeating Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) in the midterm elections earlier this month. Pearce could not seek re-election while also running for governor, so he will also leave the House next year.
Separately, Luján hosted new Los Alamos lab Director Thomas Mason in Washington Wednesday for an office meeting.
