With Buckley gone, the fight for the position of House Co-Chair of Ways & Means, the powerful budget writing committee, will be ugly. The House Democrats currently on Ways & Means are:

Nancy Nathanson
David Gomberg
Dan Rayfield
Betty Komp
Tobias Read
Jennifer Williamson

Nathanson is the current Democrat Co-Vice Chair and is my best guess on the most likely successor. Gomberg is a potential alternative. Rayfield is very new to Ways & Means. Too new, I think, to take over as Co-Chair. Komp would be my top pick except I've heard rumors she's not running again. If she decides to run again she may become Co-Chair. Read is running for Treasurer so he can't. Willaimson was just elected Majority Leader and is likely to be very busy. Majority Leaders are rarely ever also Co-Chairs of Ways & Means.