Congress

House Dems solidify their anti-Trump policy chiefs

Published

2 years ago

December 17, 2024

House Democrats have largely set their team for countering President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda next year.

While the caucus is still making other Democratic committee heads official, they decided several contested panel leader elections Tuesday morning, with uncontested elections for leadership recommendations later in the day. House Democrats largely saw the contested races to lead Democrats on the Oversight, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees as a check on seniority in the caucus — and a way to instill fresher talent from the ranks.

On the Natural Resources panel, Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.) is replacing Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), who ended his bid to lead Democrats on the panel again. On the Agriculture panel, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) beat Rep. David Scott (Ga.), who faced questions about his health and finished in a distant third in an internal caucus panel election before dropping out of the race. On Oversight, Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), though both would have represented new leadership after Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) launched a bid for the ranking position on Judiciary.

Although they won’t hold gavels, House Democrats are looking to counter the incoming Republican trifecta and Trump however they can. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a prominent role on that front during his first term, and personally backed two of the three new ranking members on key positions.

Heading into the next Congress, Democrats had fretted about their aging leaders’ ability to respond to conservative policy changes on the farm bill in the Agriculture Committee and in energy policy on Natural Resources. They also see high-profile panels like the Oversight Committee as a messaging bulwark against the Trump administration.

Here’s what the new rankers will do from their leadership perches:

Oversight and Accountability Committee

Connolly, a seasoned investigator, told reporters Tuesday that he’s experienced at countering Trump, and his strategy to fight Republicans was going to be “to tell the truth.”

“And if that hurts, then we know we’ve made our mark,” Connolly said. He added that “we will do a thorough assessment of the committee on the Democratic side and make appropriate changes.”

Connolly had earned plaudits from his colleagues for his tenure on the Oversight panel, where he worked on Postal Service issues and currently serves as the top Democrat on a subpanel on cybersecurity.

His allies also pointed to his deep well of relationships in the Democratic caucus, including in the centrist New Democrat Coalition, which had backed him during the elections for the top spot on the panel.

“He’s bright, he’s witty,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), who helped campaign for Connolly. “I’ve seen him on the Foreign Affairs committee, taking charge of the issue, particularly when the Republicans are overstepping, etc., as well as doing it in a way that brings us all together. … And I think that’s who Gerry is.”

Connolly said he was diagnosed with cancer in a statement after the election. In private conversations as he sought the top Oversight spot, Connolly said he has pledged to his colleagues that he will be transparent about the status of his diagnosis, including if it were to unexpectedly worsen.

Natural Resources Committee

Huffman is now in a key position to challenge Republicans’ effort to enact Trump’s planned “drill, baby, drill” push.

The Californian has a decade of experience on the committee and is known for his frequent sparring with Republicans, plus policy chops that he developed when he worked as an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He was a leader among Democrats clamoring for a generational change atop committee leadership.

In taking over the panel that oversees federal lands issues, including energy production and permitting, Huffman told reporters Tuesday he planned to aggressively defend against Republicans’ “Project 2025 agenda” while building on Rep. Raul Grijalva’s (D-Ariz.) legacy to “put environmental justice first and really lifted up his disadvantaged communities that bear the brunt of the climate crisis.”

Huffman had the backing of the large and powerful California delegation, including Pelosi, who he thanked “for her advice and support.” Huffman’s backers cited his knowledge of environmental and climate issues, advocacy for tribes and environmental justice, and his pragmatic streak, along with his work raising money for colleagues on the committee and in the caucus running in tough districts.

Agriculture Committee

Craig’s defeat of Scott and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) will make her the first woman ranking member of the House Agriculture panel, which some of her supporters touted as a shot at the “boys club” of panel leadership, according to one House Democratic lawmaker who was granted anonymity to discuss the internal caucus dynamics.

It’s also a loss for Pelosi, who was advocating for Costa, her fellow Californian, along with the state’s powerful delegation, behind the scenes. In comments to reporters right after her win, Craig noted it wasn’t easy overcoming the “powerful California” delegation.

In a series of closed-door meetings over the past week, Craig made an aggressive pitch to Democratic House members, citing her credentials as a frontline Democrat from a rural district. She also argued during the closed-door Steering panel meeting that the party needed a Midwestern battleground Democrat in committee leadership to balance out the many senior Democratic leaders hailing from the coasts.

Craig is incredibly well-liked by a wide swath of members, especially younger members who are growing their ranks. Young female members, especially on the Agriculture Committee, wanted to help her climb.

Congress

House Dems launch ads in four more Trump districts

Published

30 minutes ago

October 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

House Democrats’ campaign arm is expanding its target list just three weeks ahead of Election Day, going on the air for the first time in four more districts with coordinated ad buys with the candidates.

The move, part of $13 million in coordinated ads launching this week across 39 districts and first shared with Blue Light News, is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s largest reach of investments this cycle as Republicans are working to defend a slew of redder seats in the final stretch.

The new districts include a toss-up race in Florida’s newly redrawn 22nd District, which Trump would have won by 10 points in 2024, as well as for Democrats’ uphill fight to defend Maine’s 2nd District, which President Donald Trump carried by nine points and where Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is retiring.

They’re also launching coordinated ads in New Jersey’s swingy 7th District, squarely within New York City’s expensive media market, where Democrats are working to unseat GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr.

The coordinated ad buys also include Texas’s redrawn 35th District, where Democrat Johnny Garcia is running neck and neck with Republican Carlos De La Cruz in a suburban San Antonio district Republicans drew to win that Trump would have carried by 10 points.

The DCCC’s move comes as President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc.-aligned super PAC and a leading House GOP super PAC are planning to ditch spending in a group of House races in the coming days, as they race to shore up other House seats and salvage the Senate GOP majority.

“As Republicans pull out of media markets and cede that they are no longer competitive in multiple districts, the DCCC is continuing to go on the offensive,” DCCC National Political Director Brooke Butler said.

The NRCC has been up with ads in the four districts for weeks.

“While Democrats are just now scraping together the cash to bail out their radical socialists in critical battleground districts, House Republicans have been dominating the airwaves in those same districts and dozens more for weeks,” NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said. “The DCCC is desperately playing catch-up where Republicans have already lapped them.”

The DCCC didn’t share the exact size of the specific coordinated ad buys, only saying they were six-figure commitments.

Congress

Mary Peltola raises $17 million in Q3 in Alaska’s Senate race

Published

30 minutes ago

October 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Former Rep. Mary Peltola raked in $17 million over the last three months, her campaign shared first with Blue Light News, a sizable haul for the Democratic challenger in one of the biggest Senate battlegrounds.

It’s Peltola’s largest quarterly fundraising total in her bid to oust GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan. Her campaign also said it’s a record third-quarter sum for a Senate candidate in Alaska.

“Alaskans are sick and tired of DC politicians making life more expensive for everyone while they keep lining their own pockets, and they know it’s time for a change,” Peltola said in a statement thanking her supporters.

That total includes nearly $3 million in Peltola raised in July, before Alaska’s all-party primary in August, which was previously reported to the Federal Election Commission. Peltola’s campaign did not release her cash on hand for the quarter that ended Oct. 1.

Sullivan’s campaign has not yet released his third-quarter numbers. Sullivan had just under $7.3 million in cash on hand as of July 29, while Peltola had $4.6 million at that point.

Alaska has emerged as a core battleground this cycle as both parties reorient around redder states while Georgia and North Carolina tilt toward Democrats. Recent polls show a tight race.

Republicans are racing to shore up Sullivan in the four-way, ranked-choice general election in which the senator is also facing a same-name challenger in retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan. Some in the party fear he could siphon votes from the incumbent.

President Donald Trump is heading to Alaska for a rally later Tuesday in Wasilla that Sullivan is slated to attend, the senator’s campaign confirmed. Vice President JD Vance swung through the state last week.

Peltola’s fundraising prowess has helped her hold her own on the airwaves. Republicans hold a slim spending advantage on the TV ad reservations for the final three weeks of the campaign, with both parties posting over $9 million in reservations, per tracker AdImpact.

Congress

Capitol agenda: GOP readies for an underwhelming lame duck

Published

30 minutes ago

October 13, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Republicans’ dreams of a productive lame-duck session are dimming.

Members returning to Washington post-election will have a mere 24 legislative days to get through a considerable list of must-pass bills and possibly messy internal leadership fights. That’s if they can overcome a potential transition of power on Capitol Hill and a foul national mood.

Lawmakers’ must-do list includes: an extension of government funding past Dec. 11 and the annual Pentagon policy bill. Major legislation to reauthorize farm, transportation and surveillance programs are also on deck.

Then there are pending bipartisan bills overhauling energy permitting and the college sports industry that many members are itching to get done.

And finally, leaders had deferred some GOP priorities — such as another party-line reconciliation bill or debt-limit increase through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.

All of the measures face their own potential political minefields individually, as well as a number of obstacles across the board:

— ATTENDANCE: There will be little incentive for lawmakers who just lost their seats — “free-range chickens,” some call them — to grind out legislative wins, if they come back at all.

“The question becomes: Who shows up for work after the elections?” Rep. Austin Scott said in an interview. “Attendance is an issue right now.”

— NEW LEVERAGE: If Democrats win control of either chamber, they’ll likely seek greater influence on legislation to push back on Trump’s actions.

For example, Democrats are fuming over the Trump administration’s recent decision to block roughly $1 billion in congressionally approved funding, which could complicate any deal on spending legislation. They’ve also blocked the annual Pentagon policy bill amid a standoff over the Iran war; and they may push for more concessions on the permitting deal.

“The lame duck will be quite different if we win the Senate,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a recent interview.

— GOP DISPUTES: While some Republicans believe that losing a chamber would jump-start the reconciliation process, others privately believe the exact opposite would happen, with incentives waning for exiting lawmakers, according to three GOP aides granted anonymity to speak candidly.

Other GOP senators, like Sen. Cynthia Lummis, are skeptical of a debt-limit increase.

A Democratic flip of the House could also spark a potentially chaotic cascade of GOP leadership elections (more on that below).

Sen. John Kennedy speculated Congress’ agenda would all come down to the vibes of the GOP conference when they returned.

“You have no idea what the mood is going to be,” Kennedy said.

What else we’re watching:

— JOHNSON SCRAMBLES LEADERSHIP OUTLOOK: Republicans are reassessing the dynamics of potential leadership races after Speaker Mike Johnson‘s comments Monday that he would run for minority leader if the GOP loses the House — just days after he floated leaving Congress altogether in that scenario. Many Republicans had predicted Johnson would step aside with a House flip, likely setting off a race between Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan for the top GOP spot. If Johnson stays put, his success may depend on the severity of the party’s loss and if Trump weighs in for a certain candidate. “I hope he’s smarter than that,” one House Republican said of Johnson’s consideration of the minority leader role. “It would end very badly and cause unnecessary damage to the conference.”

— DEMS GEAR UP ON TRADE OVERSIGHT — Democrats on the House Ways and Means, Senate Finance and other panels say Trump’s trade deals were corrupt, and they’re already lining up targets to probe. The party knows it can’t repeal Trump’s tariffs as long as he’s in the White House, but if they win control of Congress, they plan to haul in top administration officials and possibly executives to explain how Trump picked his targets in his trade war — and if others got a pass through suspected quid pro quos.

Jordain Carney, Daniel Desrochers and Oliver Ward contributed to this report.