Rep. Michael McCaul secured the Republican Steering Committee recommendation to become the next chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, according to the office of Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio.

The Texan upset two other senior members of the committee who were seen as the frontrunners in the only three-way chairmanship race this year. Mike D. Rogers of Alabama and Candice S. Miller of Michigan were both making a forceful case to succeed outgoing Chairman Peter T. King, R-N.Y., who must step down because of GOP term limits.

McCaul is the sponsor of the DHS Accountability Act, which was debated on the floor Tuesday. It would create an independent panel to make recommendations about the Homeland Security Department’s capabilities. Shortly after the news about the chairmanship broke, McCaul was on the floor helping manage the bill.