Leadership race

Centrist Democrat Aguilar jumps into leadership race

By RACHAEL BADE

Rep. Pete Aguilar is launching a bid for House Democrats’ No. 5 leadership position, triggering a race that pits the moderate-minded Californian against a progressive East Coast colleague, Rep. Katherine Clark.

The 39-year-old New Democrat will pitch members on a more inclusive leadership table, promising that as House Democratic Caucus vice chairman, he’d solicit early and frequent feedback from all the different caucuses. With a likely influx of both more progressive freshman as well as new members from purple or even red districts, Aguilar says its “essential” that the different factions work together to “have an effective caucus.”

“It’s going to be more important than ever that we have a caucus that works for everyone, and I think making sure that that inclusiveness is a primary piece of this vice chair position… to make sure we are all working together,” Aguilar said in an interview.

The race perfectly highlights the debate raging inside the Democrats Party about which direction to tack as 2020 approaches: Clark, who declared her candidacy for the post in late July, is a member of the Progressive Caucus and could see a boon from an energized and emboldened left-wing of the caucus.

But since many of the incoming Democratic freshmen will hail from swing districts, having a pragmatist in leadership could also be appealing.

“If we’re going to get to a majority, there are quite a few purple and red districts in which members might be Blue Dogs and New Democrats,” Aguilar said. “So I think bringing these groups together to make sure they’re having conversations along the way so no one is surprised, is going to be essential.”

Indeed, Aguilar has won kudos from colleagues for his work with different groups across the spectrum — even Republicans. He and Texas Republican Will Hurd, for example, crafted a bipartisan immigration bill protecting Dreamers from deportation and modestly bolstering border security.

Aguilar was also a central player in moderate Republicans’ effort to try to overthrow Speaker Paul Ryan’s leadership team to force a vote protect Dreamers. The effort, backed by every Democratic in the House and just under two-dozen Republican, ultimately failed by only two GOP signatures.

“I learned with the [immigration] discussions that we had, that I feel I can play a role in bringing people together, and that’s what I would plan to do here,” Aguilar said.

As vice chair, Aguilar would want to give the different caucuses — from the Congressional Black Caucus to the Hispanic Caucus — more input. He said “there currently is not an opportunity for the member caucuses to interact directly with leadership.” He wants to create a more “formal structure” for all the different groups to bring ideas forward in the early states of policy-making.

“I think being proactive, sharing what our members expect out of policy and what we can do to advance these shared goals is something that can be done more on the front end,” he said.

Aguilar also wants to expand member services to help the anticipated influx of Democratic freshman set up their offices, learn the ropes and hear about best practices and advice. He’d also encourage more diversity on staff, he said.

“We’re a big tent, and making sure that from our interns to our senior staff, that we have a staff that looks like the communities in which we serve,” is critical, he said.

Demographics and geography could work for or against Aguilar, depending on the results of more senior leadership elections. Like Aguilar, Current House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Linda Sánchez hails from the Golden State and is part of the Hispanic Caucus. Should she win her bid for a promotion, and secure the fuller Caucus chair position, Democrats may decide they want someone from a different state and perspective.

Should Sánchez lose to Congressional Black Caucus member Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who is also running for the No. 4 position, Aguilar could pitch himself the Hispanic voice in leadership — a critical perspective because of the immigration policy-dominated political cycle.

As Hispanic Caucus whip, Aguilar would likely be able to rely on the group to help him. Clark, on the other hand, has the benefit of having relationships with the incoming freshman class, serving as vice-chair of recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

The two may not be the only candidates running for the post, however. Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) are also said to be looking at the No. 5 job. Some expect Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to also make a play.

The job, after all, is seen as a launch pad for leadership. Current Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) held the position before advancing to the full chairmanship post — then was seen as potential speaker in-the-making before he suddenly lost his seat to progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.