In his quest for the chairmanship, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) has won the support of at least three subcommittee chairmen on the Oversight and Government Reform committee, his office announced today. Towns, who's served on the Oversight committee since coming to Congress in 1982, finally publicly announced his interest Wednesday in chairing the full panel. His office had refused to comment on the potential vacancy prior to then.

Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.), all Oversight subcommittee chairman, publicly backed Towns today in an open letter. "Ed Towns maintains good relations with committee members from both sides of the aisle, and we expect that he will be quite effective in enacting important government reforms in cooperation with the Obama Administration," they wrote.

The chairmanship became officially vacant yesterday when Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who took the lead at the committee following the 2006 elections, was elected chairman of the Energy and Commerce committee. With Waxman's exit, Towns holds the most seniority on the oversight panel, followed by Reps. Paul Kanjorski (D-Penn.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). The latter two had expressed deep interest in the job, though according to Towns' office, no challenge has been announced.

"I am excited about the opportunity to pursue constructive oversight and a legislative reform agenda that the chairmanship offers," said Towns, in a statement released today. "I plan to work in close cooperation with Speaker Pelosi and the elected leadership of the caucus in the 111th Congress."

--Kyle Trygstad