With the unfortunate passing of Representative Bob Matsui, the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the battle to become the new Chairman is heating up. Jerome Armstrong passes this on from the House Hotline:

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA 01) has "taken his name out of the running" to become DCCC Chair, a move that was confirmed 1/3 by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Thus, "speculation" has narrowed in on Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL 05) and Joseph Crowley (D-NY 07) as contenders for the post. Thompson reportedly cited "overlapping geography" as his reason for removing his name from contention. While Crowley has "ties to donors" in the NY financial community, he is not close to Pelosi, who will make the "final decision" about the late Rep. Robert Matsui (D)'s successor. Emanuel, meanwhile, is "respected for his political savvy" and has "privately signaled" that he would run for the post if Pelosi "recruited" him. However, he has "publicly expressed little interest in the position." The names of Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 09) and Ed Markey (D-MA 07) continue to "circulate" as potential candidates for the DCCC post but "neither is viewed as likely" to accept the job (Wegner, CongressDaily, 1/4).

For background on the race, check out this post from last month on the subject. My general feeling is that Emanuel is the right pick for the slot given his Clinton connections, fundraising prowess and general political skill. This will certainly be a race to watch in the coming months.