Top House Democratic leaders who assumed their roles two years ago will continue in their positions in the new Congress after most ran unopposed in leadership elections held Tuesday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Minority Whip Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California, who took over from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants at the beginning of the 118th Congress, faced no opposition as they look to steer the caucus through complete Republican control of Washington next year.
Democrats are plotting out their next steps after losing the White House and control of the Senate in this month’s elections. But while the party fell short of its goal to flip the House, several of their most vulnerable members held on, ensuring that Republicans will again control the chamber with a narrow majority. Democrats are on track to hold at least 212 seats at the beginning of the 119th Congress, compared with at least 218 for the Republicans. Five seats are yet to be called by The Associated Press.
“We are prepared to work hard to find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues and the incoming administration on any issue whenever and wherever possible, but at the same period of time, we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary,” Jeffries said at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
The New York Democrat pushed back on the Republican argument that the party has a “mandate” after the November elections.
“The question about this notion of some mandate to make massive, far-right, extreme policy changes, it doesn’t exist,” he said.
In other key House Democratic leadership elections, Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu of California and Assistant Democratic leader Joe Neguse of Colorado also ran unopposed.
Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell was reelected chair of the caucus’s messaging arm, the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, defeating Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett in what was the highest-level contested leadership race Tuesday. The vote was 152-59, according to a Dingell aide. Reps. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Lori Trahan of Massachusetts and Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida were elected to serve as co-chairs alongside Dingell. Frost made history as the first Generation Z member of congressional leadership, two years after becoming the first Gen Z member elected to Congress.
Dingell first won election to Congress in 2014, succeeding her husband, longtime Michigan Rep. John Dingell, who died in 2019. She assumed the role as DPCC chair earlier this year after Neguse became assistant Democratic leader.
“In the aftermath of this month’s elections, this caucus has got to be in listening mode,” Dingell said at the news conference Tuesday, adding that party leaders have begun a series of listening sessions with members. “We, as a team, are going to make sure that members are going to meet their constituents where they are.”
Crockett, who has been freshman class representative to leadership in the current Congress, has gained national prominence since winning her Dallas-area seat in 2022. Multiple clips of her remarks during congressional hearings, including her tangling with Republican colleagues, have gone viral, and she also addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer.
Crockett said on social media Sunday that she decided to run for DPCC chair because she saw “opportunity to modernize & move our caucus in such a way that we are able to reach people & authentically convey why they can & should trust us.”
California Rep. Robert Garcia, the president of the freshman class of the 118th Congress, was elected without opposition as caucus leadership representative, a role for members who have served fewer than five terms. He will succeed fellow California Rep. Sara Jacobs.
In another contested election, members from competitive districts picked Nevada Rep. Susie Lee as the next battleground leadership representative, succeeding outgoing Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Lee defeated Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman 21-17 in the second round of voting, after both had seen off Washington Rep. Kim Schrier in the previous round.
Lee, who won a fourth term to her Las Vegas-area seat earlier this month, first pitched the role of a battleground representative two years ago, under the premise that members in such seats might need different support – and representation in leadership – than those from safely Democratic districts.
“Battleground members each have unique districts. They have a tough job, just in terms of communicating, running their races, raising money, and really, you know, they have a diverse constituency,” she said Tuesday. “They have to weigh everything with respect to some of these tougher issues. And then, it’s hard also when you’re getting attacked from outside entities while you’re trying to be responsive to your constituents.”
“So it’s a tough balance,” she added. “I hope to help make it easier for them.”
Landsman won a second term to his Cincinnati-area district earlier this month while Schrier won a fourth term to her seat outside Seattle — both by comfortable margins.
Under House Democratic rules, Jeffries will appoint the next chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the caucus’s campaign arm.
Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, the current DCCC chair, declined to tell reporters Tuesday whether she was interested in another term.
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