Matsui Named to Key House Post

Incoming House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday named fellow California Rep. Robert T. Matsui to lead the party’s uphill effort to regain control of the House of Representatives in 2004.

By naming Matsui chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Pelosi turned to a veteran legislator considered fluent on the issues, well-connected in money circles and, perhaps most important, loyal to her personally.

In a statement, Pelosi praised Matsui as “an expert on complex issues” who is well-positioned to attract “grass-roots and financial support across the nation.” The selection of Matsui, a Japanese American from Sacramento, makes him the first Asian American to serve in the top levels of the House Democratic leadership.

Matsui, who served as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee in the early 1990s, promised a more aggressive effort to sharpen Democratic contrasts with President Bush and recruit strong candidates earlier in the election cycle. “I really believe we can take the House back in 2004,” he said. Some Democratic insiders believe the selection could ruffle feathers in the Congressional Black Caucus, which had been aggressively promoting Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) for the job. “This could cause [Pelosi] some problems,” one senior House Democratic aide said. “The Black Caucus was pushing hard for this ... and they thought they had it.”

But Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), the outgoing caucus chair, praised the choice Monday night. “I think he is an excellent selection,” she said. “It was [Pelosi’s] call. We supported our colleague, we felt he could do a good job, but Bob Matsui is ... a great member and a good friend.”

The scale of Matsui’s challenge is formidable. In the 2002 election, Republicans gained six seats to push their total to 229, which means Democrats will need to win 12 seats to regain the majority in the 435-member chamber. That’s a significant number at a time when redistricting has reduced the number of competitive seats.

Another challenge is the ban on “soft” money -- the unregulated contributions from corporations, unions and individuals for “party-building” activities -- that took effect Nov. 6.

In recent years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog organization, House Democrats have been much more dependent than House Republicans on those unlimited contributions. Matsui, 61, was first elected to Congress in 1978 and has been a leader on tax, trade and Social Security issues from his post on the Ways and Means Committee. His voting record is generally left of center, but he has challenged party orthodoxy, particularly in his aggressive support for free trade.

In an interview, he attributed the Republicans’ gains in 2002 to their financial advantage, Bush’s success at “nationalizing” the election around defense and homeland security issues, and the Democrats’ inability to establish an alternative economic agenda.

Matsui also hinted that Democrats over the last three elections had relied too heavily on promises to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and oppose private accounts in Social Security. “Those are critical issues ... but we have to talk about something much larger,” he said. “We need to really focus on the economy.”