With Trump's return, these House Democrats look for influence outside of Washington

Source: NPR

Updated December 28, 2024 7:00 AM ET


Two Democrats are aiming to trade the halls of Capitol Hill for governor's mansions in their home states of New Jersey and Virginia.

Reps. Mikie Sherrill, 52, and Abigail Spanberger, 45, were part of a wave of Democratic recruits with national security credentials who helped their party regain control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterms, partly as a response to then-President Donald Trump's chaotic first year in office. As Trump returns to the White House, their 2025 campaigns to voters could serve as a playbook to help Democrats turn the page from losses in 2024.

Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot. She's competing in a crowded primary in New Jersey in June that includes another House Democrat, Rep. Josh Gottheimer. The two women, who became roommates in Washington, stressed in a joint interview with NPR that the year ahead provides a time to showcase the next generation.

"We have to cut our own path. We have to create a vision," Sherrill said. She noted the spotlight will focus on these two states: "These are the only two races in the nation, the first two races in the nation, where we can stand up and say: This is the vision that we have of the future."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/24/nx-s1-5222767/moderate-house-democrats-governor