The Next Generation Of Democratic Leaders Wants To Move Up, But The Baby Boomers Are In The Way
Ambitious, young House Democrats have a problem: At a time when the party is calling for generational change, there are few opportunities to advance.
Leadership has long been static for Democrats in the House. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn, the top three Democrats, respectively, have all been at the top of the House Democratic ladder for more than a decade. And none have shown any signs of leaving; Pelosi has said she expects to be speaker if Democrats retake the House in November.
That stagnation has some Democrats worried that their caucus is bleeding talent, and it has left two options for the party’s rising stars — try to work their way up outside of the traditional leadership structure or head for the exits.
... the departure of some of the caucus’s rising stars is particularly striking at a time when Democrats may be poised to win back the House in 2018.
This cycle, Reps. Beto O’Rourke, Jacky Rosen, and Kyrsten Sinema are all running for Senate seats. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jared Polis, and Tim Walz are running for governor in their states. Rep. Keith Ellison, the number two official at the Democratic National Committee, is seeking the Minnesota attorney general position (a decision he announced months before an ex-girlfriend accused him of abuse). Rep. Colleen Hanabusa also made an unsuccessful bid for a gubernatorial seat. Rep. John Delaney is running for president.
New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney also took a stab at becoming New York attorney general, but is running for reelection to his House seat after losing that primary.
Those departures come after two lower-level members of House leadership, who were seen as potential heirs apparent, also left the House. Chris Van Hollen ran for Senate in 2016 and won, while Xavier Becerra left the House in January 2017 for a post as California’s attorney general.
Leadership has long been static for Democrats in the House. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn, the top three Democrats, respectively, have all been at the top of the House Democratic ladder for more than a decade. And none have shown any signs of leaving; Pelosi has said she expects to be speaker if Democrats retake the House in November.
That stagnation has some Democrats worried that their caucus is bleeding talent, and it has left two options for the party’s rising stars — try to work their way up outside of the traditional leadership structure or head for the exits.
... the departure of some of the caucus’s rising stars is particularly striking at a time when Democrats may be poised to win back the House in 2018.
This cycle, Reps. Beto O’Rourke, Jacky Rosen, and Kyrsten Sinema are all running for Senate seats. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jared Polis, and Tim Walz are running for governor in their states. Rep. Keith Ellison, the number two official at the Democratic National Committee, is seeking the Minnesota attorney general position (a decision he announced months before an ex-girlfriend accused him of abuse). Rep. Colleen Hanabusa also made an unsuccessful bid for a gubernatorial seat. Rep. John Delaney is running for president.
New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney also took a stab at becoming New York attorney general, but is running for reelection to his House seat after losing that primary.
Those departures come after two lower-level members of House leadership, who were seen as potential heirs apparent, also left the House. Chris Van Hollen ran for Senate in 2016 and won, while Xavier Becerra left the House in January 2017 for a post as California’s attorney general.