Both parties prepare leadership contests before January’s swearing-in
More than 100 newly elected members of Congress arrived in Washington this week for freshman orientation, bringing a large Democratic class and a slim new class of Republicans into the Capitol. The newcomers entered a building where defeated and retiring lawmakers were beginning to clear offices, an unusual overlap ahead of the peaceful transfer of power scheduled for Jan. 3. Lawmakers will be sworn in that day as the new Congress begins.
Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack of North Carolina arrived with a campaign story that challenged expectations inside her own party. The community organizer defeated a well-known Republican with a $56,000 campaign budget and said she was excited to come to Washington and show what was possible. “People were just looking for somebody who’s going to listen to them,” Womack said. She said she won by showing up and talking with voters. Womack, a single mom, also said she knew what it was like to live on a budget and feed her family and that voters wanted their representatives to fight for them in Washington.
Rep.-elect Brian Poindexter said his win over incumbent GOP Rep. Max Miller in Ohio ensured the state remained a very swing state, though he entered Washington focused on preparation. “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can and being the best representative I can be for my district,” Poindexter said as he arrived at the Navy Yard hotel where lawmakers were temporarily housed. Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot in New Jersey who sought a seat in Congress, said she was ready to give Congress a try. She had spent her whole life “trying to find the biggest, hardest problem to throw myself at,” and said, “There’s always the unknown.”
Orientation combined training sessions and receptions with briefings about office setup, payroll and benefits. A room was reserved for official portraits, while the rest of the Capitol offered newcomers a chance to meet colleagues and learn their way around. For defeated members and retirees, the same week begins a search for what comes next. Before the formal swearing-in, both parties will also meet privately to choose House and Senate leadership, ahead of a public vote in January for the House speaker.
Among the newcomers, Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan drew a crowd of young people in the Capitol basement for photographs. The progressive senator-elect is the first Muslim in the Senate. Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico sought guidance from outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who lost his primary for reelection after President Donald Trump backed his rival, Ken Paxton, who was defeated. “I’m so grateful for his advice and his guidance as I try to fill his big shoes,” Talarico said. Talarico also said he wanted to meet Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton of Illinois photographed new Democratic senators-elect, including Talarico, El-Sayed, Annie Andrews, Roy Cooper, Peggy Flanagan and Josh Turek. She captioned the picture, “First Freshmen Senator selfie! Couldn’t ask for a better team.” Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted, a Trump-backed favorite, for a comeback, also joined the freshman orientation. Brown had served 18 years before losing the seat two years ago to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno. Brown was celebrating his 74th birthday Monday when he said, “I’ve actually learned some things,” and added, “I’ve gotten to know my colleagues.”
The first major decisions facing the incoming lawmakers will come before they take office, as House and Senate members huddle with their parties to select new leaders. Congressional offices are receiving phone calls and social-media messages urging Democrats to dump House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in favor of a fresh start. Progressive lawmakers are agitating for change that reflects strong Democratic turnout in the midterms, especially in Senate races.
Jeffries, the typically low-key House leader, scoffed when questioned about whether he had support and projected confidence that he would win the votes. He is on track to become the nation’s first Black American House speaker. Sen.-elect Chris Pappas of N.H., who was moving from an outgoing House seat to an incoming Senate seat, said the class represents “a new generation of leadership that wants to do things differently and shake up Washington.” Pappas said he wanted to meet with Schumer and would decide later whether to support him if a challenger emerged.
Republicans will choose their own leaders after House Speaker Mike Johnson stepped aside following the party’s election defeat. A closed-door House race scheduled for Tuesday pits No. 2 Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana against Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a rematch of the 2023 contest that preceded Johnson’s rise to power. Richard Hudson, the House GOP campaign chairman who lost his North Carolina reelection bid, hesitated to assess the outcome. Hudson also noted that departing lawmakers were barred from voting in the GOP meeting.
The incoming Senate class includes several representational milestones. Peggy Flanagan is set to become the first Native American woman in the Senate, and Chris Pappas the first gay man. House Democratic campaign chair Suzan DelBene called the party’s candidates “all very unique” and described their backgrounds as spanning firefighters, ministers, mayors, veterans, teachers, farmers, prosecutors, union leaders, law enforcement, doctors, journalists and a Grammy-award winning musician. “They understand that their job title is representative, not rubber stamp,” DelBene said.
House Chaplain Margaret Kibben opened Monday’s session with a prayer acknowledging the mixed mood on Capitol Hill: “some of us enjoying victories and others enduring disheartening defeats.” At a separate reception in Statuary Hall, outgoing Speaker Johnson hosted House Republicans, whose shrinking numbers left the party a lopsided minority made up mostly of white men. The formal transfer of power and swearing-in of the new Congress remain scheduled for Jan. 3.