Coming off a brutal bruising in the 2024 election, Democrats in Washington are poised to play defense for much of the next two years against President-elect Donald Trump and the resurgent GOP.
But before they can try to counter a Republican trifecta, Democrats have an important question to answer: Who’s in charge?
The leader of the Democratic Party, President Joe Biden, will leave the White House in January, and Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be largely sidelined after her 2024 defeat. On Capitol Hill, both of the party’s leaders will be in the minority and have limited power to stop the Trump agenda. As Democrats face a leadership vacuum, lawmakers and organizers told USA TODAY they will find a path forward and have colleagues ready to step up.
“We’ve got to figure out what went wrong,” said Jim Manley, a longtime Democratic strategist and former aide to one-time Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “But in the meantime, we don’t have a leader. We’ve got a lot of people that contribute to the debate.”
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 13: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) heads to a closed door meeting at Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Democrats Caucus members hold a meeting as Senate Republicans hold leadership elections toady. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
“It’s going to be really important to give the next generation of leaders a bigger microphone, because I think we’ve seen the last generation just can’t cut it,” added Amanda Litman, a former Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton presidential campaign staffer and now the co-founder and executive director of Run for Something, a progressive organization recruiting and supporting young candidates.
Who are the rising Democratic stars set to go toe-to-toe with their Republican colleagues and the Trump administration – at least until the 2026 midterms and the start of the 2028 presidential campaign? And how will they work with Republicans to try to avoid government shutdowns and pass pivotal legislation? Here’s what to know.
Who are the Democratic stars?
The party at large has a rank of prominent figures, including governors like Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom of California, as well as Biden administration officials such as outgoing Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. They all picked up national attention as potential running mates for Harris – and when they hit the campaign trail after she selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. All are considered potential candidates to run for the White House in another four years when Trump’s term expired.
In the halls of Congress, several Democratic lawmakers have made a name for themselves – or promise to.
US Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) walks through the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. The Republicans in the US Senate picked John Thune as the chamber’s new leader Wednesday as lawmakers scrambling to prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration rejected his camp’s favored candidate. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)
Elections for the 119th Congress saw a number of history-makers. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., became the first Korean-American senator, while Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland became their states’ first Black senators. Their wins mark the first time two Black women will serve in the upper chamber at the same time.
Sarah McBride, a Delaware state legislator, will also be sworn into the House next year, the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress.
Still, it’s not all new members set to lead the Democrats. Other star figures including returning representatives and existing leadership, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
These Democrats won’t be able to do much, though, without making deals or compromises with the Republicans in charge. There’s no chance, for example, that Congress is going to come anywhere close to considering any of Harris’ signature campaign promises, like reinstating Roe. v. Wade’s protections.
They could rely on the Senate’s 60-vote threshold when it comes to blocking right-wing priorities in the upper chamber. Republicans will struggle to clear the hurdle with a 53-47 majority.
But these leaders, and their fellow Democrats, won’t just be trying to block the Trump administration. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he thinks Democrats have a “great caucus,” but when it comes to legislating, they’ll proceed “issue by issue.”
“I don’t see it as Democrats versus Republicans,” Booker, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and close friend of Harris, told USA TODAY. “I see it as getting on the right side of issues, which Democrats have a track record for doing.”
Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., who represents parts of Detroit and the surrounding area, agreed that the parties will still be able to find some common ground.
“There is plenty of opportunities to collaborate,” Thanedar said. “There’s a time to fight and there’s time to work together … There will be plenty of opportunities to do both.”
A moment for the younger crowd
This is a time in particular for Democrats’ younger leaders to step up to the plate, Litman said.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez waves hello to the crowd during Our Fight Our Future Rally at the University of Texas in Austin Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Greg Casar, Lloyd Doggett, Beto O’Rourke and University Democrats held a rally to encourage young voters to register and vote in the upcoming election.
“I think it’s going to be a chance for some of them to show what fighting back looks like,” she said
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has already emerged as a de facto leader for the party’s younger and more progressive wing. With her is fellow millennial Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who is known for going head-to-head with Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was elected in 2022 as the first Gen Z member of Congress, and he made headlines by driving for Uber to make ends meet during his campaign.He returns next year for a second term and the chance to grow his national profile.
“I like him, I think he’s a good dude,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said of his youngest colleague.
Aug 22, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., speaks during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY
Where do Democrats go from here?
Despite a Democratic bench emerging in Congress and in states across the country, the left still has an uphill battle in Washington coming off this election. So how does the party proceed from here?
“I don’t have the faintest idea,” Manley said.
“We took a licking last week, and anyone who suggests otherwise needs to get their head examined,” he added.
One lawmaker, who has been a star among the left for decades, had some ideas. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., offered a scathing review in the aftermath of the 2024 election.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders said in a statement last week, hours after the presidential election was called for Trump.
“While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo,” said Sanders, a former 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, “the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”
Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rising stars, leading voices for Democrats emerge after 2024 election
