WASHINGTON — The Democratic Caucus elected Angie Craig (D-Minn.) on Dec. 17 to serve as the next House Committee on Agriculture ranking member.

Craig will replace Representative David Scott (D-Ga.) who lost a steering committee vote earlier in the week. She won the House Agriculture Committee vote over Representative Jim Costa (D-Calif.) who previously announced he would be running for ranking member.

“My focus will be on improving people’s lives — not scoring political points,” Craig said in her statement. “We can lower food and energy costs for consumers. We can strengthen the farm safety net and open the doors of opportunity to new and beginning farmers. And we can ensure that nutrition assistance programs are available for the Americans who need them.”

On the Republican side of the aisle, Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) will maintain his position as Ag committee chairman and recently welcomed six new members that the House Republican Steering Committee recommended.

“This is a pivotal time for our farmers, ranchers and rural communities, so we’ll hit the ground running with rigorous hearings and oversight, all to ensure we deliver legislative victories for rural America and the farm families that guarantee our nation’s food security,” Thompson said.

The new Republican members include Representative Dan Newhouse (Washington), Representative Tony Wied (Wisconsin), Representative Rob Bresnahan (Pennsylvania), Representative Mark Harris (North Carolina), Representative Mark Messmer (Indiana) and Representative David Taylor (Ohio).