House Democrats Keep Top Leaders, Gear Up for New Challenges

In a no-drama leadership election, House Democrats have decided to stick with their top brass from the previous term. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York, along with his team—Minority Whip Katherine Clark from Massachusetts and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar from California—faced zero competition and will continue leading the caucus in the new Congress. This comes as the party is strategizing its next moves after failing to keep the White House and Senate in recent elections. Though they missed the mark on flipping the chamber, several endangered Democrats managed to hold onto their seats, which means House Republicans will again have a narrow majority. With at least 212 seats coming into the 119th Congress (and five seats still up in the air), Democrats are looking to regroup. Other notable unopposed leaders include Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu from California and Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse from Colorado. A key race saw Rep. Debbie Dingell reelected as the chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. She beat Rep. Jasmine Crockett from Texas in the most hotly contested race. New co-chairs were also elected: Reps. Lauren Underwood from Illinois, Lori Trahan from Massachusetts, and Maxwell Alejandro Frost from Florida will join Dingell. Frost made history as the first Generation Z member of congressional leadership, having also been the first Gen Z member elected to Congress. Dingell has been serving in the House since 2014, taking the seat of her late husband, longtime Congressman John Dingell. She stepped into her role as DPCC chair earlier this year after Neguse rose to assistant Democratic leader. Crockett, who's been the freshman class rep to leadership in the current Congress, has gained national recognition since winning her Dallas-area seat in 2022. Her viral debates with Republican colleagues and her speech at the Democratic National Convention have put her in the spotlight. She stated on social media that her decision to run for DPCC chair was driven by her vision to modernize the caucus and authentically engage with the people.