A number of second-term House Democrats are seen as future statewide candidates within their party.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Democrats elected their political future in 2018. Now, that bench of potential statewide leaders could get wiped out.
The last midterm election saw a slate of Democratic rising stars roll into Congress on a wave of anti-Trump resentment and fundraising prowess built on top of that backlash. Now, with a few House terms under their belts, they are prime candidates to run statewide in the future — but first, they must survive their first election that isn’t dominated by former President Donald Trump.
“Everyone” in Michigan thinks Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), will “run statewide,” said Jason Cabel Roe, a Republican consultant who is working for Slotkin’s House opponent this year, Tom Barrett. “The buzz around” Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) is that she’ll be “running for governor in 2025,” when the seat is set to be open, said Mike DuHaime, a Republican consultant based in the state.
Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) are also among those frequently name-checked by operatives in their states as formidable statewide candidates for the future. In Pennsylvania, many expected Rep. Chrissy Houlahan to run for Senate this year, but she opted against it and instead remains on the radar for a future bid, said J.J. Balaban, a Democratic strategist in the state. And Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) are closely watched by Democrats in their states for a future step up.
