New members in the 120th Congress arrived on Capitol Hill this week for orientation, and after Democrats won big, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) welcomed its largest group yet.
Caucus Chair and Representative Greg Casar (D-TX) led a warm welcome outside the Capitol during a press conference over the weekend, outlining the caucus’s plan for when Democrats take power in January.
Rep. Casar noted the “wide variety” of progressives joining the CPC, which is a total of 25 members.
“They are as diverse as this nation,” Rep. Casar said. “Some represent our biggest cities, others small towns and small communities. Some are replacing progressive icons, others a record-breaking number flipped red districts to blue.”
After last week's election, at least 254 Democrats will be seated in the House of Representatives and 54 in the Senate in the 120th Congress. Some races have yet to be called.
But the Democratic victory came with months of bipartisan turmoil surrounding progressive candidates and how some seemed to embrace the controversial label of “democratic socialism.”
“The progressive caucus represents America,” Rep. Casar said. “They come from different places. They’ve led different lives, but we are united in one unbreakable commitment to shake up Washington, D.C.”
The Texas congressman said the caucus will be focused on relatively similar issues outlined by House Democratic leaders, including affordability and corruption – two issues that an overwhelming majority of voters said they cared most about when casting their ballots.
“These new members are a model of how we are going to get out of this mess as a country,” Rep. Casar said. “By uniting everyone who agrees that working people are being screwed over by the elites and the ultra-rich. And we are going to fight back together starting today.”
