Congress gets a new class of lawmakers – on a wild first day

After months, or in some cases years, of planning, fundraising, and campaigning, 74 brand-new members of Congress are beginning their first terms. And if the chaos surrounding the House speaker vote today was any indication, they may be in for a bumpy ride.

The freshman class of the 118th Congress, which was waiting to be sworn in amid the speakership drama, has already made history on a number of fronts. They hail from more than 30 states and represent urban, suburban, and rural areas. They are the youngest class in recent history, with an average age below 50 – including the first representative from Generation Z, Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost. The number of women in the House remains roughly the same, but several newcomers mark firsts: Democrat Becca Balint is the first female representative from Vermont; Democrat Summer Lee is the first Black congresswoman to represent Pennsylvania; and Colorado, Illinois, and Oregon have their first-ever Latina representatives. 

Following a midterm election where Democrats performed better than expected, the 118th Congress is almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats – with Republicans holding a narrow 222-212 majority in the House, while Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate. New members may have to work extra hard to have any impact in what could easily be a divisive and gridlocked term.

That’s especially true when compared with the previous Congress, which was “one of the most active in the past century,” says Mark Harkins, who worked on Capitol Hill for almost two decades before joining Georgetown’s Government Affairs Institute. The 117th Congress also had exceedingly narrow margins, but Democrats controlled both chambers, as well as the White House, making it easier to move legislation.

The incoming 118th Congress will likely “pale in comparison,” Mr. Harkins predicts, given the split not only between chambers, but also within the parties. The GOP’s internal rifts were on display throughout the day, as members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus refused to vote for their own party’s speaker nominee, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California. After three ballots, Mr. McCarthy had yet to secure a majority Tuesday evening – the first time in 100 years the vote for speaker had gone beyond the first ballot. With every potential vote critical, new members immediately found themselves being courted.

“Before, it was ‘Are you a Democrat or Republican?’” says Mr. Harkins. “Now, you have these [internal] factions. And because of the incredibly tight margins in the Republican Party, these new members are going to be asked to pick a faction fairly quickly, before they really know what’s going on.” 

At the same time, new members are already facing immediate administrative tasks such as hiring staff, ordering office supplies, and figuring out things like how to answer constituent mail and “where the bathroom is,” says Mr. Harkins, who previously served as a first-time congressman’s chief of staff.

The Monitor spoke with four incoming members about how they are approaching their new roles and what they hope to accomplish over the next two years. 

Wesley Hunt, R-Texas 

Wesley Hunt, who represents Texas’ new 38th District, comes to Washington brimming with confidence. Indeed, when asked if he’s feeling apprehensive at all, the former Army captain doesn’t hesitate.

“No,” he says. Then, by way of explanation: “I was an Apache pilot.”

After falling short in a 2020 congressional bid, the married father of three – including a newborn baby boy – handily won a 10-way Republican primary last year. He’s especially proud that, as the great-great-grandson of an enslaved person, he was elected with over 60% of the vote in a majority white, solidly conservative district. 

One of five Black Republicans who will serve in the 118th Congress – the most since 1877 – Mr. Hunt, who calls South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott a friend and mentor, sees his own political success as evidence that the GOP’s push to diversify the party is working. 

Policy-wise, given his district’s location in Houston, an epicenter for U.S. oil and gas production, the new congressman plans to focus on energy-related legislation. He also hopes to work on border security and inflation. 

Mr. Hunt is particularly looking forward to working with two fellow incoming House members who were in his graduating class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: Democrat Pat Ryan of New York and Michigan’s John James, another Black Republican. Mr. Hunt, who served in Iraq, believes veterans can be a unifying force for the GOP on Capitol Hill, bringing “the party as a whole together.”   

“We fought the same wars. We lost the same classmates,” he says. 

Still, when pressed to explain how he would repair rifts between moderate Republicans and his far-right peers, Mr. Hunt clarifies that in some cases, the differences may not be reconcilable. Republicans like outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney have “done more than enough to show that they don’t want to be on our team.” 

Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii

For Jill Tokuda of Hawaii’s 2nd District, having her own desk on the House floor represents the fulfillment of a promise she made in high school. While visiting the U.S. Capitol on a school trip – her first time to the U.S. mainland – she reportedly told herself that someday, she would be back.

Despite having served in the Hawaii legislature for more than a decade, Ms. Tokuda says last month’s orientation for new members in Washington felt like a “crash course.” So far, she has enjoyed getting to know other members, both incumbents and fellow freshmen. And she found the Democratic leadership elections inspiring, given the new team’s demographic diversity. 

“I served 12 years in my Hawaii state Senate and led some of the biggest committees, but you didn’t always see your own face staring back,” says Ms. Tokuda, who is from the island of Oahu. 

Married with two sons, Ms. Tokuda earned a reputation for getting things done in the Hawaii Senate with a below-the-radar focus on legislating. Endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Ms. Tokuda campaigned on restarting the government’s COVID-19 rent relief program and monthly child tax credits, and expanding SNAP benefits. She’s looking forward to working with Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, who will soon be the second most powerful Democrat in the U.S. House, noting that they share a particular interest in early childhood education. 

“Our families need help everywhere in Hawaii – from housing they can afford, to making sure their children have access at the earliest age to education,” says Ms. Tokuda. “Our kids are literally becoming [Hawaii’s] greatest export. And as a mother of two boys, I’ve got to stop that.” 

Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas

Of the three Republican Latinas who ran for Congress in South Texas last year, only Monica De La Cruz of the 15th District was successful. The insurance agent became the first Republican ever to win this seat, beating her Democratic opponent by almost 9 points. 

Hispanic voters’ shift toward the Republican Party has been one of the most notable political trends of the past few years. And as the Monitor reported ahead of the midterm elections, in many areas – particularly South Texas – it’s been women like Ms. De La Cruz who are leading the charge.

The single mother of two, who grew up in a Democratic household, says she was driven to switch parties after seeing the positive effects of President Donald Trump’s policies. A political newcomer, she ran for the 15th District in 2020, surprising party officials on both the left and the right when she lost by fewer than 7,000 votes. Two years later, Ms. De La Cruz says it’s became socially acceptable to call yourself a Republican in Hidalgo County.

“The trend is leading towards the Republican Party,” Ms. De La Cruz tells the Monitor. “Everybody is really energized about 2024.” 

But before she thinks about her next election, Ms. De La Cruz plans to spend the next two years focusing on one of her constituents’ top priorities: border security. She campaigned on finishing construction of the border wall and requiring those seeking asylum to wait in Mexico.

“We need to show [Congress] the importance of keeping Title 42,” she says of the Trump administration policy, which has allowed Border Patrol to immediately expel migrants on public health grounds. The Biden administration has been trying to lift the policy, which was put in place at the beginning of the pandemic, but the Supreme Court temporarily blocked that effort.  

At the same time, Ms. De La Cruz, whose grandparents came to the United States from Mexico, advocates streamlining the process for legal immigration, including hiring more judges to deal with the backlog of asylum cases. 

“People are coming here because we are the greatest country in the world, and we want them to come in the right way so they have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams,” says Ms. De La Cruz. “We must shorten the length of time it takes to become a U.S. citizen.”

Wiley Nickel, D-N.C.

When asked what he wants to do in Washington, North Carolina’s Wiley Nickel says he’s most interested in “finding things that we pass through the House and the Senate and get to Governor Cooper” – before catching himself, with a chuckle – “I mean President Biden’s desk,” the former state senator says.

Mr. Nickel, also an attorney who previously worked as a staffer for former President Barack Obama, narrowly beat a Trump-endorsed Republican in the newly drawn Republican-leaning 13th District outside Raleigh. Married with two children, he’s already connected with members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats in Congress, and is “really excited” about working with them. He also hopes to work with Republicans, such as North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and other new legislators from swing districts.

“We were on the House floor, I was in the second row, and I literally reached ‘across the aisle’ to meet Congressman-elect Molinaro,” says Mr. Nickel, referring to Republican Marc Molinaro from New York. “That was one of my favorite moments.”