Dems 'pushing aggressively' to replace aging leaders with 'combative' reps on key committees

Some House Democrats are eager to see a changing of the guard on several major communities when the 119th Congress gavels into session on January 3, 2025 in order to better check President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.

That's according to the New York Times, which reported Saturday that the high-profile House Judiciary Committee could potentially see a shakeup next January. Currently, 77 year-old Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is poised to be ranking member of the committee after previously serving as its chairman after the 2018 midterm elections. But the Times reports that some Democrats are now "pushing aggressively" for 61 year-old Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) to challenge Nadler for the role, viewing him as "more combative" and better suited for the job.

Nadler is not expected to cede his position atop the powerful committee without a fight, though Raskin has noticeably remained silent about whether he plans to ask his Democratic colleagues to vote for him to replace Nadler. The former Judiciary Committee chair said that as a native New Yorker, he's "stood up to Donald Trump my entire career."

READ MORE: 'You need therapy': Committee hearing erupts in shouting between Comer and Raskin

"When he became president, I led the Judiciary Committee’s efforts to hold him accountable for his various abuses of power, culminating in two historic impeachments," Nadler wrote in a letter to colleagues announcing his intent to seek another term as the top Democrat on the committee.

Raskin, however, became a darling of progressives due to his willingness to vociferously challenge Republicans as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. The Times reported that House Democrats view the Maryland lawmaker as "more aggressive, articulate and shrewd than Mr. Nadler when it comes to taking on the former and future president," and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former Speaker of the House, is apparently one of the Democrats in Raskin's corner.

The House Judiciary Committee is seen as the epicenter of anti-Trump opposition in the upcoming meeting of Congress, given its oversight over the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Trump's stated plans to use the DOJ as a tool to persecute his political opponents. Democrats eager to replace Nadler reportedly complain that he "rarely veers from talking points" while Raskin is perceived as a "sharp-tongued debater more adept at spontaneous sparring."

Other committees that could see intraparty contests for leadership positions next year include the House Committee on Natural Resources, where Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) could challenge longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to be the next ranking member. and House Agriculture Committee ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.) may also have to defend his position from Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.)

READ MORE: 'They tried to kill your predecessor': Raskin takes multiple shots at Trump’s 'pet chameleon' JD Vance

Click here to read the Times' report in its entirety (subscription required).