Barrasso in February. Photo: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Sen. John Barrasso is runningfor Republican whip, potentially opening up the top GOP spot on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Why it matters: It takes Barrasso out of the "three Johns" race for majority leader and could mean a big shakeup for energy policy in the next Congress.
Zoom in: GOP conference rules prevent the top two leaders from serving as chair or ranking member on committees. Barrasso's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on his ENR future.
Sen. Mike Lee would be a frontrunner for the ENR job. He'd be a move to the right on Western issues (he was the most vocal critic of the Trump-era bipartisan public lands bill).
Among other senior committee members, Jim Risch is currently ranking on Foreign Relations, and Steve Daines is former President Trump's behind-the-scenes pick for GOP leader.
