Can young Democrats threaten Nancy Pelosi and the old guard?

USA Today

2 days ago

Can young Democrats threaten Nancy Pelosi and the old guard? Young Democrats launch primary challenges against senior incumbents in Congress, arguing that the party has an "inability to change" problem.
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AOC sounds off after Schumer says he'll support Trump's funding bill
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn't hold back after Chuck Schumer said he would support the Republicans' stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.
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Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she isn't fazed by a challenge from Saikat Chakrabarti.
Chakrabarti is a former aide to Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and to Bernie Sanders.
"For a lot of Democrats, new voices represent hope," said David Niven, associate professor of politics at the University of Cincinnati.
'No matter how old you are, you still got to run on your record…if you want to dance, you got to pay the fiddler," said Connecticut Democrat Rep. John Larson, 76.
WASHINGTON − Thirty-nine-year-old Saikat Chakrabarti is looking to pull off a political earthquake: Oust California Democrat Nancy Pelosi in next year's primaries. The 85-year-old former House Speaker has been in Congress since 1987, almost as long as Chakrabarti's been alive.
He's part of a movement of young progressives looking to knock off their Democratic elders in blue state primaries next year, arguing the veterans aren't doing enough to take the fight to President Donald Trump.
His message: "People are fed up with the old guard."
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Pelosi's not sweating
But the old guard is unimpressed. Pelosi told USA TODAY she doesn't view Chakrabarti's challenge as serious.
'Not at all. Not even slightly,' she said.
Chakrabarti, a tech millionaire, is making gerontocracy − rule by the aged − a big part of his campaign. He says he's building an insurgent base through Zoom calls with voters and regular TV appearances.
Amid a storm of Trump-induced crises, Chakrabarti says, "The Democratic party has an inability-to-change problem."
While political scientists say it will be tough to beat seasoned pols like Pelosi, the bids expose a growing divide as Chakrabarti and others seek a more publicly assertive party.
In Georgia, 33-year-old Everton Blair is running to unseat twelve-term incumbent Rep. David Scott, 79.
And Jake Ravok, 37, who was eight when his former boss, California Rep. Brad Sherman, 70, was first elected to Congress in 1996, launched a primary challenge in April.
It's been a bumpy uprising.
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On April 16, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg, 25, announced his support for young progressives challenging "out of touch, ineffective" incumbents, earning a rebuke from Democratic brass.
'This is probably the best opportunity for younger Democrats to run for Congress since the Watergate Babies overran the House in 1974,' said David Niven, associate professor of politics at the University of Cincinnati. "For a lot of Democrats, new voices represent hope."
"Traditional voices represent defeat,' Niven said.
A new generational tide
Chakrabarti got his political start with Bernie Sanders in 2016 and was chief of staff to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 35.
He launched his uphill campaign against Pelosi in February, arguing Democrats 'are not recognizing this political moment for what it is.'
Progressives were furious in March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, voted to advance a Trump-approved spending bill.
Some progressives were appalled as Democrats joined Republicans in voting for a transgender sports ban and the Laken Riley Act, which requires officials to detain undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes.
Rakov said his campaign is driven by the generational divide. 'I think not everything has to be a fight to the death, but there absolutely does need to be some fight in our leaders, and I think the voters are wanting to see that," he said.
This old House
There are currently 13 House members between 80 and 89, according to a January Pew Research Center survey, and 68 between 70 and 79.
One Senator is older than 90, five are between 80 and 89, and 27 are between ages 70 and 79. Trump turns 79 on June 14. Joe Biden was 82 when he left office.
Blair, who was chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Education in Georgia, said Democrats are missing opportunities to reach voters on Twitch, TikTok, gaming platforms and podcasts.
'I think we just keep it real. People don't necessarily want to hear the wonky principles of your policy agenda,' he said. 'They kind of want to hear that you feel the pain that they feel, and that you have a plan for it.'
Running on a record
Senior Democrats brushed off age concerns.
Pelosi, a Bay Area powerhouse, is now serving her 20th term. She made history in 2007 as the first female House speaker − and frequently sparred with Trump during his first term.
Sherman, who represents parts of Los Angeles County, typically gets at three to six primary challengers every year; some in their 30's like Rakov.
'If I'm ever beat, it's going to be somebody with a long record of active involvement in the community organizations of my district,' he said.
'But it's not going to be by somebody who just shows up in the district and says, 'I worked for Sherman back in 2017,'' he said of Rakov.
Rakov said he lived in Texas, New York and Connecticut before moving to California earlier this year.
But the insurgents cling to hope, recalling Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 upset over Rep. Joseph Crowley, a top House Democrat. Ocasio-Cortez, then 28, ousted Crowley by more than 10 percentage points.
"Know your community. It's important to have the right message. It's important to have the right values," Ocasio-Cortez told USA TODAY when asked how young Democrats can win.
Age not an issue
The old guard isn't worried.
'No matter how old you are, you still got to run on your record…if you want to dance, you got to pay the fiddler," said Connecticut Democrat Rep. John Larson, 76.
Larson was in the spotlight after freezing on the House floor in February due to a 'complex partial seizure' and suffering a brief pause at a press conference in April. He's been in Congress since 1999.
Other elder Democracts include Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, 85, California Rep. Maxine Waters, 86 and Illinois Rep. Danny Davis, 83.
Hogg announced in April that his group, Leaders We Deserve, would spend $20 million on young challengers in safe blue districts.
But DNC chairman Ken Martin urged committee officers to stay neutral in primaries, giving Hogg an ultimatum: Resign from the committee or end his role in primary challenges.
The DNC credentials committee later voted in favor of a May 12 resolution that recommended voiding Hogg's election as vice chair.
Fighters vs folders
Some have argued the biggest divide in the Democratic party isn't over age, but who's willing to pick a fight.
'It's about fighters versus folders,' said Texas Rep. Greg Casar, 35, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. 'You know, Lloyd Doggett...he's been in Congress for 30 years. He is a fighter," Casar said of his fellow Lone Star Democrat. "Nobody accuses him of being a folder. Bernie Sanders...he's got more energy than half the chamber combined.'
People 'know we're not going to win every fight, but they need to see us taking every single fight on because Trump's rhetoric is hitting different," said Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who scored a major upset against a ten-term Democratic incumbent in 2018.
'We have to move differently. We have to match their energy. I'm not 25 and I feel that way,' Pressley, 51, said.