House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer pushed back Tuesday against the chatter that House Democrats have a short bench of up-and-coming members.
During a meeting with reporters in the Capitol, Hoyer said Democrats have a deeper bench than many realize or tend to believe, pointing to some members who have left for higher office in recent months as a sign of strength. He also referenced those added to the lower levels of House leadership and whip posts.
“I think that we have a lot of able members who are getting that kind of experience,” Hoyer said. “So the answer to your question, I suppose, is no. I don’t have concerns about where we are with our bench.”
Hoyer pointed to Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who won the race to replace Sen. Barbara Mikulski in the Senate, and California Rep. Xavier Becerra, who is leaving the House to become his state’s new attorney general, as examples of what the House has produced.
“I think we have a lot of very, very experienced people,” Hoyer said, pointing to the members’ backgrounds. “We just elected a lot of people to lower level leadership positions… We have a mix of a more senior and newer people in the whip operation.”
He specifically mentioned Reps. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Joaquin Castro, D-Texas and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., all of whom serve as chief deputy whips and were elected in 2010 or later.
However, concerns continue to reside amongst members within the Democratic caucus, especially in the wake of Pelosi’s defeat of Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who was challenging the former speaker for her leadership post. Pelosi acceded to changes pushed by Ryan in response, particularly making the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman an elected position.
However, Hoyer, the longtime Maryland congressman, still views the Democratic leadership apparatus and those rising within with a glass half-full perspective.
“Don’t cry for me Argentina,” Hoyer said. “We have a lot of very, very good, experienced, qualified members who are going to move into leadership.”
