House Dems' leadership landscape frozen by their pleasant midterm surprise

House Democrats volition beryllium waiting hours, if not days, to cognize the afloat results of Tuesday’s amazingly adjacent midterm election. They could person to hold adjacent longer connected the aboriginal of their leadership.

Republicans are inactive poised to instrumentality backmost the House, but the size of that triumph volition beryllium smaller than some parties had thought — with a last telephone taking longer than expected, too. And that leaves Democrats’ intimately watched enactment contests stuck successful limbo, since nary of their ambitious members eyeing apical enactment spots are expected to marque moves earlier the bulk is officially decided.

The enactment dynamics among House Democrats are chiefly frozen by the deficiency of immoderate hints from Speaker Nancy Pelosi connected her ain adjacent steps. Pelosi informed her caucus connected a Wednesday greeting post-election telephone briefing that she inactive plans to be the planetary clime acme successful Egypt, though her travel volition beryllium little — arriving Thursday and returning to the U.S. connected Friday night, according to aggregate radical who joined the call.

The California Democrat was successful a cheerful temper connected the telephone arsenic she touted the midterm turf Democrats had protected truthful far. “It is simply a singular accomplishment what each of america did moving together,” Pelosi said successful her archetypal post-election remarks. “Our candidates were courageous.”

Besides Pelosi, Democrats are inactive awaiting connection from her 2 longtime deputies: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). The trio person served successful enactment unneurotic for astir 2 decades. And portion Pelosi vowed to her caucus that this would beryllium her past word arsenic enactment leader, Hoyer and Clyburn person been wide they made nary specified promise.

Hoyer, successful a statement, suggested that Democrats could inactive clasp power of the bulk — an result that would prove, successful reality, borderline impossible.

“We bash not yet cognize who volition power Congress successful January, but it is evident that voters continued to enactment their spot successful Democrats to correspond them successful districts crossed America,” Hoyer said successful a statement. He is improbable to denote his aboriginal plans until the bulk is called.

A fistful of much inferior caucus members person told colleagues they would tally for those apical 3 positions if and erstwhile they are vacated. House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is regarded by galore Democrats arsenic the frontrunner for the No. 1 presumption — apt number person — though Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is privately considering a tally arsenic well.

Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), presently the No. 4 Democrat, is expected to question the second-ranking position. She has a imaginable rival successful Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who had expressed involvement successful a enactment tally earlier a tense intra-caucus spat implicit a missive she had led that opened the doorway to talks successful Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine.

And Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), presently the caucus’ vice chair, has aligned himself with Clark and Jeffries and is expected to question the No. 3 position.

“While the predetermination results are inactive being counted, it is wide that American voters are rejecting Republican extremism and affirming Democrats’ committedness to moving people,” Clark said successful a connection connected Tuesday night’s results.

Plenty of different apical Democrats remained hopeful that they could notch much upset victories successful the coming hours.

On that aforesaid post-election briefing telephone connected Wednesday, the caput of the House Democratic run limb addressed chap caucus members conscionable minutes aft conceding his ain race. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, fell to a GOP hostile successful a pugnacious upstate New York face-off.

“Republicans privation to leap the weapon and state the victory, but astatine this infinitesimal we bash not cognize who volition person the majority,” Maloney told chap Democrats, according to a idiosyncratic connected the call.

The run arm’s enforcement director, Tim Persico, gave a elaborate recap to members of the authorities of play crossed the country, arsenic cardinal races successful California, Arizona, Washington and Oregon stay uncalled. He projected Democrats would triumph astatine slightest 200 seats — and said determination remained a “small path” to the majority.

Indeed, alternatively than the drubbing that adjacent their ain party’s operatives were predicting, Democrats look apt to bent onto each but a fistful of their astir endangered incumbents. By Wednesday afternoon, battleground Democratic incumbents similar Rep. Matt Cartwright — who represents a red-leaning northeastern Pennsylvania spot — had emerged victorious. Yet Rep. Tom O’Halleran, whose sprawling Arizona spot had go much GOP-friendly successful redistricting, was yet dealt a loss.

One enactment contention that whitethorn get disconnected to a quicker commencement than others: bids to win Maloney astatine the DCCC helm. Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.) are expected to propulsion their hats successful the ringing to assistance the enactment recapture the bulk successful 2024.

Nicholas Wu contributed reporting.