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Democrats’ divided responses to President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress culminated with 10 of them in the House voting with Republicans on Thursday to censure Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green, as our colleagues Nina Heller and Justin Papp report. Two Democrats, including Green, voted present.
The issue of how to respond to Trump’s address was a sensitive one for Democrats. Some of them walked out mid-speech after Green — who waved his cane at Trump, shouting, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” and then refused to sit down — was escorted out of the chamber by the House sergeant-at-arms.
“Different members have different ways of expressing their disapproval,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who won an open seat in Virginia last year, said Tuesday night. “I felt like it was important to sit and listen to the whole speech, even if I disagree with it.”
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat who won an open seat last year in a state that Trump carried, emphasized the uncertain economic impacts of the president’s policies as she delivered her party’s response to the speech.
While top Democrats try to keep the focus on the policy implications of potential Medicaid cuts, they also need to determine how they move forward next week on a spending bill to keep the government funded beyond next Friday.
And all this comes as Democratic grassroots organizations ramp up their calls for more pushback against Trump.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday announced the initial members of its “Frontliners” program for vulnerable incumbents. The list includes the 13 Democrats who represent districts that Trump won last year, as well as others who hold perennially competitive seats.
Four Frontliners were among the 10 Democrats who voted to censure Green: Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi of New York, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez of Washington.
Starting gate
Georgia on her mind: Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath is exploring a run for governor of Georgia. First elected in 2018, McBath became a national advocate for gun safety after the killing of her teenage son. Republican incumbent Brian Kemp is barred by state law from seeking a third consecutive term next year.
Election law overhaul: Some House Republicans are continuing to push for changes to federal election law, even after winning full control of Washington, our colleague Justin reports.
‘A little disturbance’: Republican senators, including those up for reelection next year, are taking a wait-and-see approach to Trump’s tariffs after he used his joint address to warn Americans of further economic pain, at least in the short term, our colleague John T. Bennett writes. Meanwhile, here are five requests the president made of Congress in his speech Tuesday night.
Remembering Sylvester Turner: Texas freshman Rep. Sylvester Turner, who spent nearly three decades as a state lawmaker and eight years as Houston mayor, died Wednesday just two months after taking office. Roll Call’s Jackie Wang has more.
ICYMI
Ad watch: House Majority Forward, the nonprofit arm of House Democrats’ main super PAC, released new ads in 23 Republican-held districts that criticized the members for voting to adopt the House GOP’s budget resolution last week, arguing the vote could lead to cutting Medicaid coverage. The spots target Reps. Nick Begich of Alaska; David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani of Arizona; Kevin Kiley, David Valadao, Young Kim and Ken Calvert of California; Gabe Evans of Colorado; Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn of Iowa; Tom Barrett and John James of Michigan; Don Bacon of Nebraska; Thomas H. Kean Jr. of New Jersey; Mike Lawler of New York; Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans of Virginia; Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin; and Monica De La Cruz of Texas.
Coach’s next race: Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is considering a run for governor to succeed term-limited Republican incumbent Kay Ivey. The former Auburn football coach is up for reelection next year, so a gubernatorial run would open up a highly coveted Senate seat for Republicans in the deep-red state.
Also not ruling it out: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet is considering a gubernatorial run. The Democrat, who has served in the Senate since 2009, isn’t up for reelection until 2028, meaning he could keep his seat if he’s unsuccessful.
Campaign launches: In Pennsylvania, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure launched a campaign to challenge Mackenzie, a freshman who flipped the 7th District last year to help Republicans win the House majority. In Arizona, former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods announced a repeat challenge to Schweikert in the Phoenix-area 1st District. Galán-Woods, who lost in the Democratic primary last year, would be Arizona’s first Latina in Congress if elected.
DNC leaders round out: Roger Lau was named executive director of the Democratic National Committee. Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty will be one of three DNC associate chairs, along with Washington state party chair Shasti Conrad and union leader Stuart Appelbaum.
Michigan members: Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar, an Indian American Democrat who represents a Detroit-area district, is once again likely to draw a primary challenge. State Rep. Donovan McKinney is considering a run against the second-term congressman, while former state House Speaker Joe Tate hasn’t ruled out a bid. Former state Sen. Adam Hollier, who lost a 2022 primary to Thanedar and didn’t make the ballot last year, has also received encouragement to run.
#MISEN: Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met last week with Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer about running for Senate, a sign that Buttigieg is seriously considering a bid from his adopted home state of Michigan.
A DOGE of their own: Republicans in the Ohio legislature have created the DOGE Caucus. But unlike the federal Department of Government Efficiency, lawmakers in Columbus don’t have the power to slash state agencies and lay off workers. “Other than the name, because it’s great for branding, we’re going about this [in] a totally different way,” GOP state Rep. Tex Fischer told Cleveland.com.
Nathan’s notes
Slotkin was among a handful of female House Democrats with national security or military backgrounds who rose to power during Trump’s first term. And with her delivery this week of the Democratic response to the president’s joint address, Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and now a Michigan senator, was back in the national spotlight, Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales writes.
And she’s not the only member of that Class of 2018 making waves again: New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a retired Navy helicopter pilot, and former Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former covert CIA counter-terrorism officer, are both running for governor this year.
What we’re reading
A surge in South Texas: Democrats have long dominated elections in Texas border counties, but Trump’s growing appeal among voters here is fueling a Republican renaissance that’s showing no immediate signs of ebbing, The Washington Post reports.
How to win: Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown offers his prescription for how Democrats can reclaim working-class voters. In an opinion piece in The New Republic, he traces his party’s troubles in places like his home state back to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Unpredictable in Indiana: Politico Magazine profiles Indiana Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz, who’s been a thorn in House GOP leaders’ side over her “unpredictability” and “disregard for standard operating procedure.”
#GASEN: Republican prospects in Georgia’s Senate race next year, as well as other statewide contests, could hinge on whether Brian Kemp, the state’s popular governor, challenges Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, NOTUS reports.
The count: 4
That’s how many different representatives voters in Texas’ 18th District could have over a 12-month period.
For nearly 20 years, the Houston-area seat was held by a single member of Congress: Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in July. And on Wednesday, the seat was once again vacated after the sudden death of freshman Rep. Sylvester Turner. In between them, Jackson Lee’s daughter, Erica Lee Carter, won a special election in November to serve out the final weeks of her mother’s term.
Of course, the number of representatives in the 18th District could be as few as three over the 12-month period, depending on whether Carter runs to succeed Turner and when Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott orders a special election for the reliably Democratic seat.
— By Roll Call’s Ryan Kelly
Coming up
Roll Call is planning to bring back the Shop Talk feature, noting campaign, fundraising and consultant staff moves. If you have any tips or just want to talk to us about all things personnel, reach out to shoptalk@rollcall.com.
Meanwhile, floor votes on a continuing resolution are expected next week to extend government funding as Congress stares down a March 14 deadline.
Photo finish
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The post At the Races: Censure and sensitivity appeared first on Roll Call.
