The Dem blame game reaches full force
As Republicans relish their newfound power, Hill Democrats are in shock wondering how it all went so wrong and pointing to the possible culprits that led to such a massive electoral disappointment.
First Things First
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Welcome back to Once Upon a Hill. House Democrats will hold a virtual call today at noon to discuss the outcome of the 2024 election. In more than a dozen calls and texts with Democratic lawmakers, aides and strategists on Wednesday, a combination of anger, disbelief and disappointment that Democrats didn’t perform better emerged. When some sources couldn’t form complete sentences, they simply just sent emojis.
Votes are technically still being counted in several House races that will determine which party controls the chamber. Republicans are considered favorites to hold a slim majority, which would give them a governing trifecta with Trump on his way back to the White House and the GOP holding the Senate after four years in the minority.
While most of the postmortems are occurring in private for now, some Hill Democrats have gone public with their criticisms. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), whose national profile has skyrocketed in the past year as one of Israel’s fiercest defenders, blamed the Democratic Party’s far-left flank for alienating Latinos, Black people, Asians and Jews from the tent with movements like “defund the police” and terms like “Latinx.” Torres expressed broader criticism of his party for denying for too long how much voters blamed President Joe Biden for their pocketbook woes.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who cruised to reelection on Tuesday and ran previously ran for president twice with the support of many of the voters who now support Trump or decided to sit the 2024 election out, called into question of the Democratic establishment would learn any lessons from the election to course-correct going forward.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders wrote in a statement. “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”
Republicans revel in their Trump-fueled triumph
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) held a press conference on Wednesday morning, taking a victory lap for Republicans’ performance. He touted the quality of their candidates and the decision to embrace Trump, a shrewd move given the extent of the president-elect’s coattails on Tuesday. Senate Republicans will elect a new leader next week, ending McConnell’s tenure as the longest-serving leader in Senate history. I’ll have more to say about McConnell early next week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson sent his members a letter asking them to reelect him as the conference’s top Republican. Trump seems to like Johnson and the Louisianan isn’t expected to face a serious challenge now that Republicans feel certain they’ll have unified government next year. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) sent a separate letter to his colleagues’ support for him to remain as the number-two House Republican.
Despite the drape-measuring on the other side, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement on Wednesday that it’s still TBD which party will hold the House majority until Democratic pick-up opportunities in several states, such as Arizona, California, Oregon and Iowa, are decided.
Jeffries also said that House Democrats are defying political gravity, but it’s unclear how after most Democrats—including Jeffries’ predecessor former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)—said with high confidence before the election that the Brooklynite would become the next speaker. Instead, Republicans have held on to several of the seats Democrats coveted the most.
“Over the past two years, we have repeatedly put people over politics, and focused on lowering costs, growing the middle class and keeping our communities safe,” Jeffries said. “In the new Congress, House Democrats will continue to govern with common sense and conviction.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) struck a similar tone in his first public statement since Republicans dispatched him and his caucus back to the minority.
“As we await the final tallies in elections across the country, Senate Democrats remain committed to our values and to working with our Republican colleagues to deliver for the American people,” he said. “As I’ve said time and again, in both the majority and the minority, the only way to get things done in the Senate is through bipartisan legislation while maintaining our principles—and the next two years will be no different.”
Zephyr Teachout, a law professor at Fordham University who has run for governor, a congressional seat and attorney general of New York in the past decade, is leading public calls for Schumer to resign after his Democrats’ performance in the election.
Interestingly enough, Schumer was previously scheduled to preside on Wednesday morning over what’s known as a pro-forma session, which are meetings held to fulfill a constitutional obligation that both chambers gavel in every three days unless the other chamber consents otherwise and where no legislative business is conducted. Senators usually take press questions after pro formas, and Schumer rarely misses a moment to spit out a soundbite, so it feels more than coincidental that the presiding officer ended up being Sen. George Helmy, the temporary replacement for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who resigned in disgrace after being convicted of federal bribery crimes earlier this year. (Rep. Andy Kim was elected to a full six-year term as New Jersey’s junior senator on Tuesday.) Al Weaver of The Hill, who noticed the pro-forma switcheroo, said Helmy insisted he was asked by Schumer around three weeks ago to preside over the session. So perhaps much ado about nothing.
Harris bows out gracefully
It wasn’t the speech she hoped to give or that her supporters hoped to hear, but Vice President Harris gracefully conceded in a 10-minute set of remarks at Howard University—her alma mater—where she expressed pride for the campaign she ran and how she ran it.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said before ticking off economic opportunity, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, and defending democracy as issues she’ll continue to focus on. “And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square.”
Harris also encouraged her supporters to accept the results of the election.
“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” she said. “That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty, not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States.”
She closed with a reference foreshadowing the dark times many people feel are ahead under Trump 2.0.
“The adage is only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case,” she said. “But here's the thing: America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant billion of stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.“
Before the speech, Harris called Trump to congratulate Trump on winning the presidential election. A senior campaign aide said Harris discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans.
“President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier today where she congratulated him on his historic victory,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “President Trump acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country.”
Biden calls Trump, will speak to nation today
President Biden watched Harris’s concession speech from the West Wing and called Harris beforehand to congratulate her on her campaign.
Biden described Harris as a partner and public servant with integrity, courage and character.
“Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation that is more free, more just, and full of more opportunities for all Americans,” Biden said in a statement. “As I’ve said before, selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became the nominee for president in 2020. It was the best decision I made. Her story represents the best of America’s story. And as she made clear today, I have no doubt that she’ll continue writing that story.”
The president also spoke to Trump and congratulated him on his victory. During the call, Biden committed to a peaceful transfer of power and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together. Biden also invited Trump to meet with him at the White House.
“President Trump looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call,” Cheung said.
Biden is scheduled to address the nation this morning in the Rose Garden to discuss the election results and the transition.
Here’s what else is happening today:
The House and Senate are out.
President Biden will get his daily intelligence briefing this afternoon after his Rose Garden speech.
Vice President Harris will be in Washington, DC, where she will get briefings and hold internal staff meetings.
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