As President-elect Donald Trump is set to reclaim the executive office once again, some Democratic lawmakers are looking to run a different playbook than they did the first go around. Democrats’ tendency to preference seniority in leadership positions, however, could get in the way of that.
In recent weeks, there have been a few notable challenges to leadership positions in the House.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is set to challenge his friend, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), to lead Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee. In a letter to his colleagues, Raskin said he made the decision to challenge Nadler, who has led the committee since 2019, because “the stakes have gone way up since the election.”
“This time, the MAGA movement has not only a trifecta but a complicit Supreme Court waiting in the wings and a dominant media propaganda system parroting all the lies,” Raskin wrote. “House Democrats must stand in the breach to defend the principles and institutions of constitutional democracy. That is our historic assignment now. We dare not fail.”
Since 2019, Raskin’s profile has risen in the party for his work as the lead impeachment manager against Trump and as the top Democrat on the House committee that investigated the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Some Democrats prefer Raskin’s debate-like tendencies over Nadler’s communicative style, which typically relies on talking points, according to the New York Times.
If Raskin is successful, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is viewed as a possible successor to Raskin’s post as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
Last month, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) to chair the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. Dingell was reelected as chairwoman 152 to 59. Crockett, an outspoken critic of Trump and his GOP allies who frequently makes headlines for her fiery remarks, is beloved by Democrats who want a fighter in leadership roles.
Many House Democrats said Crockett’s campaign to challenge Dingell was rushed and last-minute, according to Axios. Crockett pitched herself as a new, younger voice to lead the party’s communications after their 2024 loss.
Following her loss, Crockett posted on social media that she “won’t run again” and that she “offered services and they were not needed.”
“Being in leadership is a heavy lift … I’m going to continue to work … I’m not going anywhere, but if members don’t want what I’m offering. I won’t force my ideas on anyone,” She posted. “I’ve never sought leadership for me … I did it to hopefully help the collective we.”
Both Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) are challenging Rep. David Scott (D-GA), the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Scott has faced health setbacks in recent months, which has had some Democratic members reportedly questioning if he is strong enough to continue Democrats’ opposition to the modern Republican Party.
Costa said Democrats need a leader who will “bring a strong Democratic message back to rural America.” Craig said she worries that “too many rural Americans don’t trust that Democrats have their best interests at heart,” noting it’s her “mission to work with you to help change their minds.”
Scott vowed to fight to keep the position as recently as Tuesday, saying he would not bow down and that “It’s all in God’s hands.”
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who was the second House Democrat to call on President Joe Biden to step down as presidential nominee this summer, has himself facing calls to step down as the top Democrat on the House Natural Services Committee. Due to his health, Grijalva previously said he would not seek reelection in 2026.
For multiple weeks, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) had called on Grijalva to step aside as he, like Scott, has faced health issues and has been absent for part of this Congress to receive cancer treatment.
Earlier this week, however, Grijalva said he would, in fact, step aside from the leadership post, citing his health.
“After much thought, I have decided that it is the right moment to pass the torch as top Democrat on the House Natural Resource Committee for the 119th Congress. I do not make this decision lightly, as being elected ranking member stands as the honor of my professional career,” he said in a statement.
“I will continue to focus on improving my health, strengthening my mobility, and serving my district in what is likely to be a time of unprecedented challenge for our community,” Grijalva continued.
Meanwhile in the Senate, Democratic Senate leadership remained relatively the same, as it had for years, even with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) retiring. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was unanimously reelected, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), in his fifth term, will be the No. 2 Senate Democrat.
One shake-up, however, was Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) becoming the No. 3 Senate Democrat to lead the influential Steering and Policy Committee, taking over Stabenow’s post. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was eyeing the same role as Klobuchar but was instead given a newly created position as the chairman of the Strategic Communications Committee, making him the No. 4 Senate Democrat.
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Some of House Democrats’ tendency to prefer more senior members for roles could be traced back decades. According to a 1973 New York Times article, House Democrats elected all of their leaders, some unanimously, based on their seniority, even though that practice was made null and void four years prior in 1969.
If Craig, Costa, or Raskin’s challenges succeed, it could signal a shift within the party surrounding leadership and change. One senior Democratic aide told Politico Playbook that it’s a “hard lesson that our caucus — that our party, frankly — may have learned going back to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Biden and everything else. … You can’t just wait until you die in these positions.”
