 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had aggressively campaigned on Eshoo's behalf, while the Steering Committee which was packed with Pelosi allies had recommended Eshoo for the ranking slot by 30 to 19 votes.After U.S. Rep. Chris Smith stated he does "not construe homosexual rights as human rights", Pallone issued a statement supporting homosexual rights.The statement read, in part, "Representatives in Congress must be promoting the expansion of human rights, not fighting to limit its definition to people that they deem to be appropriate."