The incoming House Democrat majority will be nearly 260 seats. It’ll take years to chip away, but with the right messaging and fight, we’ll rebuild. We’ve been here before. Meanwhile, the danger of Democrats overreaching is sky-high, along with a band of rebels who do not care for institutional deference. That is to say, the whole ‘wait your turn and respect the hierarchy’ could be thrown in the trash, paving the way for a rambunctious bunch that could give Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) fits (via Axios):
House Democrats' incoming freshman class is barely a week old and already threatening to defy party leaders in ways most of their incumbent colleagues wouldn't dare.
Why it matters: It's a dynamic House leaders may have to learn to live with as they integrate a massive group of new members who were swept into office on a wave of populist, anti-establishment anger.
"My class is huge not because of ... the Democratic Party and its brand but despite it," said Rep.-elect Don Leonard (D-Ohio). "Many of us are outsiders who didn't come up through the machine, don't buy into the conventions."
Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) told Axios: "Any members that are new and have just run their elections are going to be very close to where the voters are, and we know the voters are very upset."
[…]
Things get more spotty when gauging Jeffries' support among incoming freshmen, some of whom have openly declined to commit to supporting his leadership.
That includes members of the informal progressive "Bloc," including Reps.-elect Darializa Avila Chevalier (D-N.Y.), Melat Kiros (D-Colo.), Claire Valdez (D-N.Y.), Adam Hamawy (D-N.J.) and Chris Rabb (D-Pa.).
"As far as I've heard, Jeffries is the only one running," said progressive Rep.-elect Randy Villegas (D-Calif.). "But ... I think we need to see some prioritization of some legislation, particularly around health care, foreign policy and immigration."
Some incoming and sitting House Democrats have been flooded with calls and emails urging them not to elect Jeffries speaker, Axios previously reported.
The intrigue: It's not just progressives hesitating to throw their full-throated support behind Jeffries. The list also includes some moderates in districts President Trump carried by double digits in 2024.
Jeffries is likely to clinch the 218. I just don’t see that not happening, especially given how touchy Democrats are about history and race. The New York Democrat will be put to the test, as he likely wants to impeach Donald Trump, just not now. Given these signs, he might face a rebel caucus that will ignore him. Will some of these bills be whack job city? Who knows — but some of these Democrats from deep-red districts can’t and won’t be Antifa. Annie Andrews from South Carolina and, dare I say, James Talarico might also walk a fine line, as they’re from deep-red bastions.
Who knows. But if discipline wins out, we could be on a long journey through the wilderness.
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