Rising stars and leading voices for Democrats emerge after the 2024 elections

Washington Democrats suffered a brutal defeat in the 2024 elections ready to play defense for much of the next two years President-elect Donald Trump and the resurgent GOP.

But before they can try to counter a Republican trifectaDemocrats must answer an important question: Who is in charge?

The leader of the Democratic Party, President Joe Bidenwill leave the White House in January, and Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be largely sidelined after her defeat in 2024. On Capitol Hill, both party leaders will be in the minority and have limited power to stop the Trump agenda. As Democrats face a leadership vacuum, lawmakers and organizers told USA TODAY they will find a path forward and have colleagues ready to step up.

“We need to figure out what went wrong,” said Jim Manley, a longtime Democratic strategist and former aide to former Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid. “But in the meantime, we have no leader. There are many people contributing to the debate.”

“It’s going to be really important to give the next generation of leaders a bigger microphone because I think we’ve seen that the previous generation just can’t cut it,” said Amanda Litman, a former campaign aide to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. and now co-founder and executive director of Run for Something, a progressive organization that recruits and supports young candidates.

Who are the rising Democratic stars who will go head-to-head with their Republican colleagues and the Trump administration — at least until the 2026 midterm elections and the start of the 2028 presidential campaign? And how will they work with Republicans to try to prevent government shutdowns and pass crucial legislation? Here’s what you need to know.

Who are the Democratic stars?

The party as a whole has a number of prominent figures, including governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom from California, as well as Biden administration officials such as the outgoing Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. They all attracted national attention as potential running mates for Harris — and when they went on the campaign trail after she picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. All are considered potential candidates to run for the White House in another four years, when Trump’s term ends.

In the halls of Congress, several Democratic lawmakers have made names for themselves — or promised to.

Elections for the 119^e Congress saw some history makers. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., became the first Korean-American senator, while Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland became their states’ first black senators. Their victories mark the first time two black women will serve in the upper room at the same time.

Sarah McBride, a Delaware state lawmaker, will also be sworn into the House of Representatives next year, the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress.

Yet it will not all be new members who will lead the Democrats. Other star figures, including returning representatives and existing leadership, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

However, these Democrats won’t be able to do much without making deals or compromises with the Republicans in charge. For example, there’s no chance that Congress will even come close to considering Harris’ signature campaign promises, such as the restoration of Roe. v. Wade’s protection.

They can rely on the 60-vote threshold in the Senate when it comes to blocking right-wing priorities in the Senate. Republicans will struggle to clear the hurdle with a 53-47 majority.

But these leaders, and their fellow Democrats, won’t just try to block the Trump administration. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he thinks Democrats have a “big caucus” but when it comes to legislation they will go “issue by issue.”

“I don’t see it as Democrats versus Republicans,” said Booker, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate good friend of Harristold USA TODAY. “I see it as getting on the right side of issues, something the Democrats have a good track record of doing.”

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., who represents parts of Detroit and the surrounding area, agreed that the parties will still be able to find common ground.

“There are plenty of opportunities to collaborate,” Thanedar said. “There is a time to fight and there is a time to work together… There will be plenty of opportunities to do both.”

Just a moment for the younger audience

This is especially a time for Democrats’ younger leaders to emerge, Litman said.

“I think it will be an opportunity for some of them to show what fighting back looks like,” she said

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has already emerged as one de facto leader for the younger and more progressive wing of the party. With her is fellow Millennium Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who is known for going face to face with the Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was elected as the first Gen Z member of Congress in 2022, and he made headlines by urging Uber to help make ends meet during his campaign. He will return next year for a second term and the opportunity to raise its national profile.

“I like him, I think he’s a good guy,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said of his youngest colleague.

Where do the Democrats go from here?

Despite a Democratic bench emerging in Congress and in states across the country, the left still has an uphill battle in Washington after this election. How does the party go from here?

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Manley said.

“We had a lick last week and anyone who suggests otherwise should have their head examined,” he added.

One lawmaker, who has been a star among the left for decades, had some ideas. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gave a scathing review in the wake of the 2024 election.

“It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that a Democratic Party that has failed the working class would find that the working class has failed them,” Sanders said. said in a statement last week, hours after the presidential election was called for Trump.

“While Democratic leaders defend the status quo,” said Sanders, a former 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, “the American people are angry and want change. And they are right.”

Contributions: Sudiksha Kochi