Today’s notice: Some Democrats doubt their elders. Others are singing to the tune of seniority. And a couple find common ground with RFK Jr. Plus, another case of Trump “hyperbole.”
Democrats Cough Up the Keys
Since Joe Biden stepped out on the debate stage in June, the Democratic Party has been reckoning with the uncomfortable topic of age.
Trending
As Democratic lawmakers question the extent to which the president’s fitness handed Republicans a trifecta, some are also looking around Capitol Hill to see who else might warrant replacing.
There have been challenges to senior Democrats on the Natural Resources, Judiciary and Oversight committees, but the House Agriculture Committee ranking member race is perhaps the starkest example of what has become a seniority war among House Democrats where 72-year-old Rep. Jim Costa and 52-year-old Angie Craig are challenging 79-year-old David Scott.
As NOTUS’ Tinashe Chingarande and Nuha Dolby report, part of the dynamic is that groups like the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have made opposition to the seniority system a trip wire for potential party leaders. The CBC and CHC are strong proponents of seniority, realizing they can hold substantial power for their historically ailing communities by accumulating tenure.
Still, Scott didn’t immediately return to Capitol Hill after Election Day and didn’t attend the CBC’s candidate forum Wednesday. Some members say it’s time for a change.
“We have to rise to the occasion,” a CBC member told NOTUS. “The idea that having institutional knowledge — that most people rely upon when they are a longer serving member — I don’t think that really matters at this moment because, honestly, the institution is burning before our eyes.”
The Oversight Committee Case Study
The Oversight Committee ranking member battle between 35-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 74-year-old Gerry Connolly is another example of the postelection tensions at play within the Democratic Party.
Both contenders to replace Rep. Jamie Raskin as the No. 1 Democrat command respect from the committee — even GOP Chair James Comer had nice things to say about them. But the fight is an intergenerational battle between a 16-year member of the panel with the seniority that Democrats have long prized and a much more junior lawmaker who has star power in spades.
“We should make the change generationally,” one undecided but AOC-curious Democratic member of the Oversight Committee told NOTUS. “Give people the opportunity.”
Politico reported Wednesday night that a majority of the committee is backing Ocasio-Cortez. Still, several members who spoke to NOTUS said they expect a tight race and know Connolly has people in his corner, including fellow Virginian Rep. Don Beyer.
“I tend to respect seniority unless there’s a reason not to,” Beyer told NOTUS, “because if it’s just the shiniest object or the most popular person or whatever, you’re never going to get the kind of tenure leadership seasoning that you’re going to need to effectively govern.”
Front Page
- Trump’s Push to End Birthright Citizenship Raises a Lot of Legal Questions: Even among Republicans.
- House Passes Defense Bill With a Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth.: Eighty-one Democrats voted alongside Republicans to pass the NDAA.
- Lawmakers Aren’t Getting Answers About the Mysterious Drones Flying Over the U.S.: “I thought I was gonna get an update at a meeting last week, and I was shocked that they knew so little compared to the last time that I talked to them,” said one Democratic senator.
Cabinet Corner: Are There Any Kennedy Democrats?
In the past, former Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly championed causes Democrats really like. Even now, as Trump’s health secretary pick, he still backs some of those positions, especially on issues like food policy. As his nomination works its way through the Hill, NOTUS’ Margaret Manto and Shifra Dayak tried to find out if there are any Kennedy Democrats in the Senate.
On the campaign trail, RFK Jr. shouted out Cory Booker’s advocacy around keeping chemical additives out of food. Booker told NOTUS, “He says a lot of things that I agree with” but added that he took issue with some of RFK Jr.’s stances on other issues, like vaccines, that “could undermine the safety of children.”
Democrats, in general, don’t seem to be super interested in supporting the nomination.
Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, where the long advice and consent process will begin for Kennedy, told Margaret and Shifra that no Senate Dems have formally asked to discuss RFK Jr. with the committee.
‘Hyperbole’ Report: Imprisoning Political Enemies Edition
What do Republicans in Congress, like Roger Wicker and Glenn Grothman, tell NOTUS’ Haley Byrd Wilt and Em Luetkemeyer about Trump’s clear and repeated promise to prosecute members of the Jan. 6 commission? They both used the same word: “hyperbole.”
They weren’t alone in downplaying his rhetoric.
It’s “a metaphorical figure of speech,” Mitt Romney told them.
Some Republicans — like Lauren Boebert — expressed support for the idea of investigating and possibly jailing J6 committee members. But for the most part, the take seems to be that this talk is just Trump being Trump.
As Josh Hawley put it, Trump’s comments were probably just reflective of “his mood.” But he still slipped this in: “Maybe just one or two of them should be in jail,” Hawley said. “I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding.”
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.
- How Childhood Tragedy Shaped the Doctor Trump Picked for Surgeon General by Joseph Goldstein at The New York Times
- GOP Drama: Cotton Blocks Cornyn for Senate Intelligence Chair by Jonathan Martin at Politico
- Exclusive: RFK Jr.’s secret push to prove CIA killed uncle by Stef W. Kight and Mike Allen at Axios
- For Trump’s allies, RINO-hunting season is in full swing by Ally Mutnick at Politico
- Mitch McConnell: ‘We’re in a very, very dangerous world right now’ by Alex Rogers at Financial Times
Be Social
There’s more than one RonJon?? 🤯
I never played in the NFL.
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) December 11, 2024
I wasn’t the CEO of JCPenney.
And I haven’t been nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
There are a few of us Ron Johnsons out there.
Tell Us Your Thoughts
How old is too old to be in Congress?
Thank you for reading! Send your thoughts to newsletters@notus.org.
Authors
