Michael Jones

Jasmine Crockett tells me she feels vindicated after she was criticized for her focus on supporting down-ballot candidates following her Senate primary loss to James Talarico: “I know the demographics of my state. I know who’s voting, who’s not been voting. And frankly, every single thing that I said came to pass, even for the editorial boards that did not go into endorsements or lack thereof because of my platform, experience, but instead focused on the fact that my strategy was to do exactly what happened in Texas, which is that I wasn’t going to go after MAGA. “And they said that you could never win that way. Well, guess what? Black and brown [people] showed up, and that is why Texas went blue.”

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark told Democrats during this morning’s whip meeting that the 11 members who missed yesterday’s vote on referring the Hegseth impeachment articles to committee had disappointed the American people, per a person in the room. Clark acknowledged that full attendance wouldn’t have changed the outcome but stressed that members have a responsibility to show up for the people who elected them. She reiterated leadership’s expectation that Democrats be present for votes during the lame-duck session. A second person told me Clark’s sentiment represented serveral rank-and-file members who were also frustrated by the attention the absences attracted online after the vote.

New: As the Congressional Black Caucus prepares for its largest membership in history next Congress, the caucus’s political arm and two allied groups are detailing how they worked to bolster Black representation in the face of the Supreme Court’s Callais decision and GOP-led mid-decade redistricting. The groups mounted a $20 million operation last January to mobilize Black voters in the midterms. The effort targeted 37 House districts and three Senate races, with investments in paid media, polling, organizing and a seven-figure creator program that enlisted more than 30 influencers, per a memo I obtained this evening. The groups credit their early messaging against the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal workforce and DEI, their rapid response to Callais and an election-eve rally in Alabama with helping drive the caucus’s historic gains.

Congressional Progressive Caucus calls for changes for “significant improvements” to the Senate permitting reform bill: “BAAJA includes important policies for which the CPC has advocated, including stronger federal authority to approve much-needed transmission lines to accelerate the clean energy transition. However, it also contains provisions that would undermine Tribal sovereignty and roll back key environmental laws, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act.”

More Slotkin: “I’m now a sophomore, and I’ve sat in that room and tried to figure out what our plan was for two years. “Maybe it’s because I come from a national security background, you can’t lead people if you can’t lay out where you’re going. “And it may be one thing when you’re in the minority, but it’s very different when it’s now your responsibility to deliver.”

Sanders and Slotkin both say they don’t want the job. Van Hollen hasn’t decided he does either. Schumer is the only Senate Democrat who wants it. I asked Sanders why: “Well, inside the Beltway taking on the leadership team in D.C., it’s not something that that's easily done, and Chuck over the years has made a lot of friends and developed a lot of alliances.”

Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) says the next majority leader needs to outline a clear agenda: “I think whoever wants to run this caucus should come forward with a plan on how they’re going to govern differently, what they're going to do in the first 100 days to put money in people’s pockets, and then in particular how they’re going to communicate differently.”

Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he will not be supporting Schumer for Majority Leader: “If this campaign was about anything, it was about change and the need for the Democratic Party, in my view, to move in a new and bold direction.”

Blumenthal with an update on Sen. Chris Murphy, who’s rehabbing from a stroke he suffered on Halloween:

Lots of jubilee in this morning’s House Dem Caucus meeting, the first since last week’s blue wave. Kudos all around to Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, DCCC and the senior leadership team for their roles in flipping the House, per a person in the room.

Trump endorsed this bill last night

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus officially endorsed Ted Lieu for House Democratic Caucus Chair. Lieu, who is running unopposed, is currently Caucus Vice Chair. CAPAC Chair Grace Meng says Lieu would be number four in leadership, but caucus chair has historically been below assistant speaker when Democrats are in the majority, per caucus rules. Hakeem Jeffries was number five when he was caucus chair and Katherine Clark and Ben Ray Lujan were assistant speaker in the 117th and 116th.

CBC Senior Advisor to @CBCPAC Chris Taylor responds to a petition against Hakeem Jeffries’ speakership candidacy: “Thanks to Leader Jeffries’ determination, we’ve just secured one of the biggest midterm victories in recent history despite unprecedented attacks on voting rights and an effort to rig the system for MAGA Republicans. “We won’t be distracted by a few grifters running a pay-for-play scheme to divide our movement for the American people while they enrich themselves.”

CHC Chair Adriano Espaillat on Stephen Miller’s promotion to WH COS: “This administration is already stained through and through with Stephen Miller’s cruelty. To give him a fancier title is just putting lipstick on a pig. “Democrats were ready to expose Stephen Miller when he was hiding in the shadows and we are more than ready to expose Stephen Miller from his ill-deserved perch. “Buckle up and lawyer up.”

Trump announces Stephen Miller—the architect of the administration’s unpopular mass deportation operation and domestic policy agenda—will replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff on Monday.