House Democrats brace for headaches with growing left wing

House House Democrats brace for headaches with growing left wing Comments: by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/27/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/27/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied

NOW PLAYING

The election of a trio of far-left candidates in New York’s primaries could create headaches for House Democratic leadership determined to stage a unified and effective pushback to President Trump should the party retake the chamber.

Recent years under Republican leadership have shown the power a small but united group of House members can wield within their party, and many House Democrats say they are wary of replicating that chaos and seeing their own plans repeatedly brought to a standstill.

“I hope that it doesn’t happen, because I hope we’re not like the MAGAs. You can’t criticize the MAGAs and then be like the MAGAs,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), who if the Democrats take the House would be poised to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“That’s why we have the most unproductive Congress right now. And the Republicans are all disorganized because of that. We shouldn’t be that. We want to be the opposite of that … That’s not who we should be, so I hope by looking at their example, we’re not trying to be what they are; you got to be something different.”

Voters selected three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), toppling two progressive incumbents in a state where the Democratic primaries all but ensure they will ascend to Congress.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat, and Claire Valdez are both democratic socialists, while Brad Lander, a former Democratic Socialists of America member, pushed out progressive Rep. Dan Goldman.

“The fascinating part to me is Adriano Espaillat is a progressive Democrat, Dan Goldman is a progressive Democrat,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said.

“These are not moderates, these are not centrists, and yet that was not good enough for the socialists.”

Some progressives said they felt buoyed by the victory, seeing a chance to push for bolder policies in the new Congress.

“I think a lot of times people come into office, and particularly I would say at the leadership levels, there’s this call to moderate because we’re a big tent. But if the big tent is representing people, no matter what district you’re from, that wants universal healthcare, that wants a higher minimum wage, that wants universal childcare, all of those things, then we shouldn’t be moderating, we should be going for those big policies and helping people to see that that is actually really popular in districts across the country,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who previously served as chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

“And so, having that ability to form a voting bloc, a bigger voting bloc, and a stronger voting bloc, which is how we got Build Back Better passed in the House when I was chair of the Progressive Caucus, allows us to continue to push for truly transformational policies.”

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — who is in line to be Speaker if Democrats retake the House — had endorsed Espaillat and Goldman, but said the party needs to come together once the new Congress is convened.

“In a moment like this, we really have to move forward together on the governing side in an all-hands-on-deck fashion because we’re dealing with a level of extremism that Donald Trump and the Republicans are unleashing on the American people that is unprecedented,” he said during an appearance on MS NOW the day after the election.

Under Republican leadership, the House Freedom Caucus has been a continual thorn in the side of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), with members regularly scuttling votes as a form of protest. At other times, active votes were held open for long stretches while the Speaker made backroom deals to gain support on bills lingering on the floor. It’s a position Johnson found himself in after the GOP required numerous ballots to select former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), only to later oust him.

The Freedom Caucus was in part able to wield such power because of Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the House. The ability of the newcomers to do the same to a Democratic leader would likely depend on the vote margins in the chamber.

On the Democratic side, internal divisions have been less formalized, though some of the most progressive members of Congress have banded together as the “squad.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), among those who gave the group its nickname, said there is always room for more members.

“We always say that the squad is anyone who wants to be a part of it, and I think that I’m just really excited to see that we have such dynamic candidates that are going to be blazing their own path and their own trail when they come here,” she told reporters Wednesday.

But she acknowledged big tents are fraught with tension.

“When we talk about a democratic coalition and a big tent, I think sometimes people forget that that is messy work. A big tent means we don’t all love each other 100 percent of the time. It doesn’t mean that we all get along 100 percent of the time,” she said.

“But what it means is that we all acknowledge that we need each other, and that the challenges of a rising fascist regime require us all to be in coalition with one another, and what coalition means is that we know that we’re not all in the same group. We all acknowledge it,” she said, adding, “that acknowledgement is also what drives us to be successful.”

Others, however, said there has been too much handwringing over the victories of three candidates in a liberal bastion.

“I think everybody is overreading New York City right now. You know, we’re hearing an awful lot about these three districts,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), noting New York victories by more mainstream Democrats.

“Since I live 45 minutes from the place, I will tell you that New York is unique, and so clearly, in urban areas with younger people there is an upwelling of emotion and demands for change, and faster solutions to problems. I would not draw a parallel, though, with the Freedom Caucus. I mean, my sense is that other than maybe the most exotic members who say some things that I think are a little reprehensible, I think these are people who are really dedicated to addressing the pain of the working class or of less affluent people,” he said.

“They seem to be much more practical than a [Rep.] Thomas Massie [R-Ky.] who wants a government that basically, you know, protects the borders, and that’s it.”

Avila Chevalier has apologized for the division caused by her past social media posts, some of which have now been deleted, that include a reference to using the American flag as a napkin, while at another point she simply wrote, “F‑‑‑ Kamala Harris.”

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) also downplayed the risk of any future divisions.

“We already have AOC, it’s not like we’re introducing a new exotic species into the House Democratic caucus,” he told The Hill, using a nickname for Ocasio-Cortez. “So I think they certainly found a way to manage it when [Nancy] Pelosi was Speaker. I think we’ll continue to do that, because the opposition to Trump will be more than a unifying force. If we take the House back, that’ll be a big focus, and a common mission for all of us.”

Others said the new members, like all who get elected to Congress, will be in for a reality check once they arrive.

“Anyone coming to Congress is thrust into this dynamic that they have never experienced before,” said Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), saying she was just discussing with another new member how they “had no idea what I was getting into.”

“This is so different in trying to figure out how power works and operates, and how you build coalitions, so all of this new crop of candidates coming in … there’s going to be a steep learning curve for them in the same way there is for everybody else.”

But she cautioned that she does not “want to replicate the Freedom Caucus on our side.”

“Because it has made this place completely and totally dysfunctional, and we are not delivering for Americans. So, I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen, because I think they are running to actually get things done. That’s part of the progressive movement is — to actually deliver for people, make life better for people. I believe the Freedom Caucus came out of a sense of ‘we want to break government so that it doesn’t work to grind things to a halt.’ So I think the force is different,” Balint said.

Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) said the members will swiftly learn that coalition building is part of the job.

“There’s new energy in the equation when the new Congress starts, but at the same time I think even new members quickly realize that if they want to get things done, they have to build relationships, and you have to get to know other people, and you have to also learn compromise and how to have an impact, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there are you know some bumps at the start as people begin their learning process of being a member,” he told The Hill.

Others also thought new members might gain new perspectives after meeting colleagues who run in less solidly blue districts.

“My hope is that when they get to Congress and they meet some of our front-line members, they see how hard it is to flip districts and create a majority and that they will be a part of the greater team. And I’m going to hold on to hope about that,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), whose district abuts the U.S.-Mexico border.

Another potential point of contention is whether the three newly elected members would back Jeffries for leader.

While Lander has said he would back Jeffries, Avila Chevalier and Valdez have not yet made those commitments. When a photo of Jeffries flashed across the screen at Valdez’s election night party, it spurred boos from the crowd and chants of “you’re next.”

But Jayapal waved away concerns that Jeffries would struggle to gain the backing of the conference.

“Look, that is the job of the person who’s vying for Speaker, is to win people over, and sometimes that involves making deals,” she said.

“But I think that, you know, first of all, you can’t beat somebody with nobody. And I’m not hearing any rumors of anyone running against Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker.”

Rachel Frazin contributed.