CHICAGO—Democrats attending the party’s national convention in Chicago are split on whether they can win back control of the House of Representatives in this year’s election, they told The Epoch Times and NTD News at the Democratic National Convention.
Those who expressed confidence said that enthusiastic youth support would help them in down-ballot congressional races.
“I feel it’s going to happen. There’s just this animation, this enthusiasm, this growing momentum. The Harris–Walz team is going to carry that across the finish line,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
Becerra, former House Democratic Caucus chairman, said Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy would be the “X factor” for candidates in tough races.
“With Harris and Walz on the top of the ticket, we’re going to have better organizing on the ground. We’re going to have momentum and energy, and that’s going to help us win the House back,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) said. “We are incredibly confident we will win the House.”
The 435-seat House of Representatives currently has a breakdown of 220 Republicans, 211 Democrats, and four vacancies. A party needs 218 seats to have the majority.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) mentioned that some states have a straight-ticket voting option to automatically vote for all Democrats or all Republicans on the ballot.
“I do think that it’s going to help us to get back the House,” she said.
President Joe Biden was heavily criticized by some for running for reelection despite his age, at 81. The transition from Biden to Harris will help to increase voter turnout for Democrats, members of Congress say.
“The American public was screaming for some kind of transition to a younger population of politicians. I have four children, and I was in arguments with my own children over this issue, over Biden,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said.
“After announcing his plans to retire and pass the baton on to Vice President Harris, my children said, ‘Oh, where can we sign up? We want to work.’”
He added that young people seem to have connected with Harris even more so than they did with former President Barack Obama.
“I think it was the best for our party and our democracy because the stakes are so high,” Luca DeGroomer, a 19-year-old convention delegate from California, said of Harris’s elevation to the top of the ticket. “Young people are fired up to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
Economy a Challenge
Apart from youth turnout, Democrats are confident that instability among House Republicans in the 118th Congress will dissuade voters from reelecting GOP members in battleground seats.In October 2023, a group of House Republicans voted with Democrats to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), which prompted a three-week process to elect a new speaker that saw several nominations fail before Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected.
“[Our constituents] have seen what happens when you have Republican leadership, chaos, confusion [and] division, and our constituents don’t want that. Our constituents want us to come back, and they are very interested in flipping the House,” Leger Fernández said.
Some House Democrats and political operatives, however, are not confident about the party’s chances, particularly as Republicans target the Biden–Harris administration’s record on the economy.
“I’m not confident because it all depends on how we do with keeping up the momentum and the energy, the enthusiasm, the door knocking,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Congress, said.
She said that voter turnout would be crucial and that the party would have to keep knocking on doors and making phone calls.
“It’s a heavy lift,” James Bubar, a member of the Democratic National Convention’s Platform Committee, said.
Susan Moran, a principal at Grassroots Campaigns Inc., said she wishes she could feel confident, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work.
Elizabeth Mitchell, a political consultant attending the convention, said she won’t be confident about Democrats’ chances unless everyone puts in the work.
“People are energized, they’re excited, but it hasn’t changed the numbers,” Mitchell said. “It hasn’t changed.”
She said the party needs to focus on non-Democratic voters by emphasizing the perceived danger of Trump’s election.
“Point out how dangerous and weird Trump is and tell us what you’re going to do. I think that’s a pretty decent ticket,” said former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who opposes Trump and is among several anti-Trump Republicans attending the convention.
Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said she expects to see ads, voter guides, and vote-by-mail applications targeted toward independents.
Main Policy Issue for Democrats
Throughout the convention, Democrats have emphasized abortion as their top issue to turn out voters.At the convention, party officials have vowed to pass legislation through Congress that federally permits abortion, including in states where it is currently banned. Members who spoke with The Epoch Times said it’s the first issue they would bring to the floor if they win reelection.
“Our top two things on the agenda are protecting a woman’s right to have access to reproductive health care and voting rights,” Leger Fernández said. Jayapal mentioned the same two issues.
“It’s up to young people,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) said.
