Hoyer stays upbeat on party's chances, his career

By ALAN BRODY, Staff writer

HYATTSVILLE - More than a quarter-century since coming to Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer is in no hurry to determine his political future.

The 14-term Mechanicsville resident who has climbed the leadership ladder to the No. 2 slot in the House of Representatives said Monday that he hasn't given any thought to his next step - be it elevation to Speaker of the House or retiring from politics.

‘‘Although I've been there 28 years, I feel good," said Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) at a luncheon with Maryland reporters Monday. ‘‘My constituents have been very good to me and we work very closely together, and I'm very focused on their issues first and I think effectively so. I think any member of Congress or any elected official is only as strong as he's perceived to be ... by the people they represent."

When pressed, Hoyer, 69, said he hasn't even considered retirement.

‘‘Frankly, I'm at the point now where obviously I could retire, but I have no thought of retiring," he said. ‘‘It doesn't enter my mind."

Hoyer spent four years as house minority whip and was elected majority leader when Democrats took control of Congress in 2007. He talked up his strong professional relationship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif., 8th) and the Democratic leadership's accomplishments in the last 16 months.

‘‘It's a good job," he said. ‘‘It gives me an opportunity to represent the state well, the district well and it gives me an opportunity to impact on policy that I believe is good for our country."

Hoyer, who has easily won re-election contests since 1996, is heavily favored to defeat Republican opponent and Charles County school board member Collins A. Bailey in the November general election. Still, he's not presuming anything.

‘‘We're not taking this election for granted," he said. ‘‘We're going to be working in the district."

But Hoyer has spent significant time campaigning and raising money for other Democratic congressional hopefuls across the country.

Only Pelosi has raised more money than he has since 2007 and no one has given more to Democratic congressional hopefuls than Hoyer.

He believes Democrats can gain at least 10 House seats in November to bolster their current 236 to 199 advantage over Republicans.

‘‘It's a Democratic year - people want a change," he said, referring to Queen Anne's County State's Attorney Frank M. Kratovil Jr., who is running against state Sen. Andrew P. Harris in Maryland's 1st Congressional District that is largely considered to be safe Republican territory.

He also defended his party's position on offshore oil drilling that has become a political football on Capitol Hill as gas prices have approached or surpassed the $4-per-gallon mark. Democrats, he said, support drilling in waters that have already been approved for it, but not on undesignated land or waters

‘‘Democrats believe it makes more sense to drill where we currently have authorization to do so on which there are 107 billion barrels of oil projected ... that is currently available for leasing, including in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska where there's 10.6 million barrels presumed to be available," he said.

He also bashed Republicans and the Bush administration for turning a $5.6 trillion surplus into a $4 trillion deficit. And Hoyer praised the economic stimulus package passed earlier this year aimed at stimulating the economy and outlined a housing bill that attempts to stabilize the shaky real estate market.

Low congressional approval ratings, he said, are not reflective of how voters view their representatives, but of the perceived performance of Congress as an institution.

‘‘While there's a visceral relationship to individuals in the Congress and to the president, when you ask how Congress is doing and 82 percent of you say that Congress is not doing so hot, that's a reasonable conclusion to draw as opposed to if you ask how Steny Hoyer is doing ... and you get a much higher number," he said.