The Rise of Progressive Democrats in the New Congress: What to Expect

Title: Progressive Democrats in Congress: A Growing Force to be Reckoned With

In a surprising turn of events during the midterm elections, Democrats defied expectations and secured better results than anticipated in both the House and the Senate. However, one aspect of their performance that went largely unnoticed was the election of a new wave of unapologetically progressive lawmakers.

Five Democratic members-elect aligned with the liberal Working Families Party are set to challenge President Joe Biden’s policy agenda from the left. Backed by the Justice Democrats, Rep.-elect Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Rep.-elect Greg Casar of Texas are part of this group that is rapidly forming close bonds and looking to the “squad” as a model for their legislative approach.

While these progressive members have advocated for critical leftie policies such as “Medicare for All” and a Green New Deal, there is a debate on whether they have used their power as aggressively as they should. The squad, which includes prominent figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, has made waves in the national conversation with their activism, but have not always united on progressive goals or effectively challenged the Democratic establishment.

As the progressive bloc within the Democratic Party continues to grow, the question remains on how they will wield their power and confront party leadership. With Democrats losing control of the House in January, the influence of these progressive members may be limited for now, but their potential impact when Democrats regain a majority in the future is significant.

It is crucial for these lawmakers to not only focus on rhetoric and viral tweets, but to use their capacity to obstruct bad policies and push for better ones in Washington. The decisions they make now will shape the future of the party and the policies that are enacted.