Freshman Democrats open orientation focused on costs and investigations

New class includes doctors, veterans, farmers and a Latin Grammy winner

More than 100 incoming members of Congress descended on Washington this week for new member orientation, touring the US Capitol, attending briefings and trainings, taking group photos and selfies, and contending for office space ahead of their swearing-in on 3 January, according to a report in The Guardian’s Stakes 2026 newsletter.

For Democrats, the arrival followed an unexpectedly strong election. The party exceeded expectations in the midterms, the report said, flipping more than 40 House seats and gaining at least six new Senate seats, while the still-uncalled Alaska race appears to favor Democrats as well.

The Guardian’s politics editor Kira Lerner, freshly returned to work after parental leave, likened the scene to a first day of school. Representative-elect Dan Koh of Massachusetts told Roll Call: “It really is like high school – but it’s fun high school.” Representative-elect Rebecca Bennett of New Jersey posted on X: “First day of school!” adding: “Rebecca, age 39. Favorite subject: ending foreign wars and making child care affordable.” Representative-elect Rebecca Bennett of New Jersey also spoke to reporters at the beginning of orientation in Washington DC on 8 November, according to a photograph caption in the report.

The incoming class stands out for its backgrounds. The Guardian described the new Congress as the most diverse and anti-establishment in history, with many members arriving wholly unfamiliar with the halls of the Capitol. The freshman class includes doctors and scientists, military veterans, faith leaders, farmers, a smoke jumper and a Latin Grammy award-winning musician. Many new lawmakers took non-traditional paths to their current jobs and represent historic firsts in Washington.

For some newcomers, even the basics of the job were new. Zack Mullock, a Democratic mayor and representative-elect in a longtime Republican district in New Jersey, told CNN: “I had to Google the salary of a congressperson just two days ago.” Most members earn $174,000.

The week also brought early alliance-building. Incoming Democratic senator Troy Jackson of Maine shared boba tea with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Tuesday, a day after arriving at orientation alongside fellow newcomers James Talarico of Texas and Annie Andrews of South Carolina. Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan spoke with reporters at the Capitol following orientation on 9 November.

The newcomers arrive with policy intentions as well. The report described the incoming Democrats as carrying a mandate to lower costs and corruption, with ambitions ranging from using their new subpoena power in the House to investigate the Trump administration to advancing a single-payer Medicare for All system. Unlike many of their colleagues, the report noted, they have not spent the past two years on the defensive under Republican control.

The report also pointed to paid family leave as an area where the new class may have an impact. The United States has no federal law mandating paid family or medical leave, and only about a third of US workers can take paid time off to recover from childbirth and care for a new child. Congressional efforts to change that have so far been unsuccessful, but many newly elected members have championed a federal paid leave policy as part of their economic platforms.

The incoming Congress is likely to seat a record number of mothers, according to the report, which said at least one member-elect brought her small children to orientation. That makeup, the report suggested, may give paid leave efforts more support than ever before.