Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., will challenge current House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member David Scott, D-Ga., for the top Democratic role on the panel.
Costa’s office confirmed Wednesday that he is seeking the position of ranking member in the next Congress.
It's not the first time the pair have faced off. In 2020, the Democratic steering committee voted 32-19 to pick Scott over Costa as chair.
Scott was first elected to Congress in 2002 and holds the most seniority on the committee. Costa, a third-generation farmer, has been in Congress since 2005.
With an extension of the 2018 farm bill looking more likely than a full five-year farm bill this year, the contest will determine who will lead the minority as it continues those discussions with Republicans, who will control the House, Senate and White House.
Scott, 79, has previously pushed back against concerns over his age and health. He has not returned to Congress so he can get treatment on his back, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this week.
Scott told the publication he plans to come back "in full strength" after the Thanksgiving break, when votes resume Dec. 3.
Scott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Costa told reporters that several members had asked him to consider running for the top position on the committee. He said he did not have the opportunity to speak with Scott before making the decision.
Eric Sorensen, an Illinois Democrat ending his first term on the committee, told Agri-Pulse Wednesday he hadn't talked to either Scott or Costa yet.
"I look forward to having a conversation with ... with both gentlemen to see what their priorities are for the 119th [Congress], and how they're going to affect my district," Sorensen said.
Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said Costa had been reaching out to colleagues about the position but she hadn't talked to him either.
She said that passing a farm bill requires "someone who's really going to be able to reflect and represent the interests of our members, you know, and advocate and help us really push for what we need to see in the farm bill. ... We're going to need strong leadership and one that will listen and reflect and empower members to to be a part of part of whatever is the final outcome."
A senior Democrat on the committee, Jim McGovern, D-Mass., declined to comment on Costa's challenge.
