Longtime Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) has been tapped to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee, beating out the most senior Republican on the committee, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), for the role.

The two Republicans had been vying for the coveted energy leadership position for weeks, emphasizing their breadth of experience in Congress, and on the committee.

Since 2010, Latta has served on all six subcommittees under the Energy and Commerce Committee, chairing both the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.

Guthrie also has experience chairing within the committee, heading up the Health Subcommittee. During the last Congress, the Kentucky lawmaker also served on the Energy, Climate and Grid Security subcommittee as well as the subcommittee on oversight and Investigations.

For weeks, the race for E&C chair was tight, with party members saying it could have gone to either Congressman.

A senior GOP staffer previously told the Washington Examiner that, for some members of the steering committee that recommends panel leaders, experience in Congress and on the Energy and Commerce committee itself held a lot of weight. At the same time, Guthrie has long had widespread support within the party. The choice by the steering committee will still need to be confirmed by the full conference.

The Republicans have served in senior roles on the committee for years, with Latta having been in Congress only two years more than Guthrie. Both were expected to support the incoming Trump administration’s energy agenda, placing a renewed focus on American energy security, independence and supporting domestic production.

The Energy and Commerce committee is expected to be thrust into the spotlight in the next Congress as President-elect Trump is poised to stoke a number of environmental policy battles. The committee plays a key role in shaping policy for a variety of topics, including health care, technology, artificial intelligence, broadband, renewable energy, and more.

Guthrie will be taking over the chairmanship from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who announced she would be retiring from the seat earlier this year.