Up until earlier this week, Rep. Nick Lampson was perhaps the incumbent House Democrat most in danger of losing reelection, given the demographics of his district. (Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL) can probably now claim that dubious honor, for reasons that have nothing to do with district demographics). Lampson, whose district includes NASA’s Johnson Space Center, got a boost this morning when he won the endorsement of the Houston Chronicle. The editorial cites Lampson’s influence on space policy as one of the reasons the paper supports him over Republican challenger Pete Olson:
Equally as important, if Lampson wins he will be in a position to use his accumulated seniority to head a key House subcommittee overseeing NASA during the next session. He holds a strong commitment to increased funding for manned spacecraft development in the future.
The subcommittee is the space subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee; its current chair, Mark Udall (D-CO), is leaving the House to run for the Senate.
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