After Democrats scored resounding wins around the country last week, flipping seats in deep-red territory and unseating longtime members of Congress, fresh-faced, newly minted members-elect flocked to D.C. on Sunday for orientation.
Many of the Democratic lawmakers who claimed upset elections in districts that President Donald Trump won by double digits arrived at the AC Hotel in Navy Yard looking excited but overwhelmed, stepping out of their black Suburbans dragging large suitcases by themselves and asking reporters where best to enter the building.
Some of them, including Rep.-elect Zack Mullock (D-New Jersey), struggled when asked about who they supported for House speaker and what committees and caucuses they were most interested in joining, laughing about the fact that they never thought they would win their races.
“I literally didn’t even know the salary of a congressman yesterday,” Mullock said when asked if he plans to support Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House speaker. “It’s an important decision that I’m going to talk to a lot of people who know a lot more than I do right now.”
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It was a new experience for Mullock, who crossed the street and walked halfway down the block before answering questions from reporters, clarifying that he wasn’t used to being surrounded by press as the mayor of Cape May, New Jersey.
Mullock added that he was “shocked” he won his seat and was still trying to piece together the responsibilities of being a member of Congress, adding he probably “knew less than any other elected officials in that building.”
He wasn’t alone. Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack (D-North Carolina), who clinched a surprise victory over Rep. Tim Moore in a district that Trump won two years ago by nearly 15 percentage points, was also noncommittal about whether she would support Jeffries or what committees she wants to serve in.
Womack said she faces a steep learning curve her first few weeks in D.C., adding that she’s hoping to learn “everything” in the next few days. She said she’s not committing to any decisions on the first day of a new job.
“I probably will join some caucuses, but again, I just want to know, what is the work that they want to do?” Womack said. “I really want to focus on what is the work that they plan to get accomplished and be a productive member of Congress.”
While only days from the election, freshman orientation welcomes incoming House members and even some whose races are not yet called. The orientation includes several days of briefings, get-to-know-you seminars and a tour of the Capitol, as well as logistical trainings on how to navigate Capitol Hill and hire staff. This year’s class will be one of the larger ones, with at least 90 new members — and possibly as many as 120 when all the races are called.
Rep.-elect Fred Wellman (D-Missouri), who flipped Rep. Ann Wagner’s seat, said that he had a little more of a hunch that he could clinch a win in the area.
“As the kids say, the vibes were good,” he told reporters standing in front of the hotel on Sunday. “It was obvious that there was some sort of a movement occurring in our district that people were really coming on board.”
Still, Wellman added, he delayed learning some of the ins-and-outs of the Capitol and the legislative process, in part out of superstition in such a competitive district. And, he’s still got a lot of people to meet.
A veteran, Wellman said he’s spoken to other members about his priorities and his desire to serve on the Armed Services Committee but is waiting to talk to leadership about where it thinks his “skills might fit best.”
“We got a lot to learn,” Wellman said. “I got 101. I got to learn how to be a congressman. I was a candidate four days ago, and I made a commitment that I wouldn’t jinx this thing by doing too much of that.”
Even those Democrats who faced easier campaigns and were prepared to arrive in Washington on Sunday said that there are a lot of questions to be answered during this first week on the Hill.
Rep.-elect Matt Little (D-Minnesota), who will replace outgoing Rep. Angie Craig, said he plans to lean on the lawmakers who he meets during the first few weeks to help him learn the “unwritten” rules of the road in Congress.
The social norms and the unwritten rules of Congress, much like a friend group, are hard to prepare for, Little said.
“I’m really interested in learning all the stuff that you can’t read online or Google,” Little said.
Still, Democrats arriving in D.C. on Sunday were by and large on the same page in terms of their legislative agenda. Across the party’s “big tent,” newly-elected progressives from big cities and moderates from red states said they are looking to use control of Congress to roll back cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, renew expired Affordable Care Act subsidies and end the war in Iran.
And although new members were split on Democrats’ oversight agenda and whether to go as far as impeaching Trump for a third time, those lawmakers were all excited to use their first week in Washington to begin working out a unified front.
“There is a time for fights,” Rep.-elect Brad Lander (D-New York) said. “Right now, we need discipline, strategic unity, so we can address affordability, hold this administration accountable, restore those healthcare cuts and end the war. Those are consensus positions across the Democratic Party.”
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