The worst new senator (AZ) and worst new House member (NJ)First the good news: Although there haven't really been enough controversial votes yet to definitively analyze the voting records of the congressional freshman class, there are mostly pretty good signs. With every day that passes, records are beginning to become somewhat clearer, at least at the extremes. According to ProgressivePunch, 38 freshman House members are tied for the #1 spot-- with 100% perfect scores. There are obvious perfect voters like AOC (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Joe Neguse (D-CO), the Levin Boys (Mike from California and Andy from Michigan), Debra Haaland (D-NM) and Chuy Garcia (D-IL) but even some of the reactionary candidates have been voting exactly the way the Democrats who entrusted them with high office would have wanted them to vote-- crap candidates who will likely soon start disappointing, like Jason Crow (New Dem-CO) and Susie Lee (New Dem-NV), for example. For now... 100%.But some Democrats have already started slipping over to the Dark Side and finding their comfort zones on the other side of the aisle. Further down the list of freshmen, there are 10 tied for 144th most progressive: Cindy Axne (D-IA), Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), Chrissy Houlahan (New Dem-PA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Harley Rouda (New Dem-CA), Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (New Dem-MI) and Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA). Republicans are already starting to look at some of these freshman as obvious targets for 2020 since they are already beginning to show signs of disappointing the Democratic base. For example, in Orange County-- CA-48, the coastal district Rouda won from Dana Rohrabacher last year, 157,837 (53.8%) to 136,899 (46.4%)-- Republican businessman James Bradley, who was the top finishing GOP candidate in last year's U.S. Senate race, declared against Rouda, whose congressional office is said to be in utter turmoil and disarray, last week.Right-of-center freshmen like Blue Dog Mikey Sherrill, are going to need all the help they can get if they keep voting against progressive bills and refuse to back popular progressive initiatives like Medicare-For-All and the Green New Deal. History has taught us that Democrats like her will wind up without support from a crucial sector of the electorate: committed progressive activists. In NJ-11, former governor Chris Christie has already started pushing his wife to run against Sherrill. It's a very swingy red-leaning district (R+3) and the only thing Sherrill will be able to count on for reelection is suburban revulsion at Trump at the top of the ticket. The Christies have lived in the district for 25 years and are very popular there.And those ten aren't even the worst problem-children-- not by a loingshot. Tied as the 202nd most progressive (which is not at all progressive) are 7 freshmen who keep finding themselves voting with the GOP an awful lot:
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)• Sharice Davids (New Dem-KS)• Antonio Delgado (D-NY)• Jared Golden (D-ME)• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)• Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)• Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM)
Now we're in real stinky garbage territory. Those 7 above will all have tough reelection battles, if not primaries. Xochitl Torres Small already has two declared GOP opponents... as her support from progressives activists evaporates. And that brings us to the 3 worst freshmen Democrats-- tied for the 231st "most progressive" and already with voting records better than only 2 sewer lane Democrats, Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX) and Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN). Tied for the worst freshmen of all and just begging to be one termers:
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)• Jeff Van Drew (Blue Dog-NJ)
The DCCC announced their 2020 frontline program yesterday-- 44 Democratic incumbents, mostly shitty freshmen, who are in trouble for reelection. The only non-freshmen on the list are a couple of truly crap Blue Dogs-- Tom O'Halleran (AZ) and Josh Gottheimer (NJ)-- and a progressive, Matt Cartwright (PA) in a Republican-leaning seat. O'Halleran's biggest political problem is a primary from progressive Democrat, Eva Putzova. As for the freshman members, most of them are Republican-lite types who can count on Trump-hatred to get them over the hump next year, although most of them are likely to be defeated in 2022 after Pelosi leads the Democratic Party into disappointing everyone on everything important... But at least she passed her own top priority: Pay-Go. Which of the freshmen on the list deserve some support? So far I'd say Mike Levin (CA)... but I'm holding out some hope that Katie Porter (CA), Jahana Hayes (CT), Jared Golden (ME), Andy Kim (NJ) and Kim Schrier (WA) are on their way to proving themselves worthwhile members of Congress. The rest have already proven themselves the contrary. Most of the good freshmen are not on the DCCC Frontline list of course.Over in the Senate, there are are 4 freshmen tied as the 47th most progressive-- two Democrats and two Republicans. The Republicans are Josh Hawley (MO) and Martha McSally (AZ). The Democrats are the only freshmen in the class, both of whom had very right-wing voting records in the House-- Jacky Rosen (NV) and the worst of the worst, the Democrat who applauded the loudest and most often and with the greatest enthusiasm for Trump Tuesday night, Kyrsten Sinema. All four are rated "F," of course. The four pictured below have nothing to do with these four from the Senate-- and do I mean nothing!Hey, but while we're all here, this is a list of all the House Democratic freshmen and the committees they were assigned to. You might find it useful moving forward... or not, but I'll be using it s a reference for the next couple of years.Colin Allred (New Dem, TX)
• Foreign Affairs• Transportation and Infrastructure• Veterans' Affairs
Cindy Axne (New Dem-IA)
• Agriculture• Financial Services
Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)
• Agriculture• Veterans' Affairs
Ed Case (Blue Dog-HI)
• Appropriations• Natural Resources
Sean Casten (New Dem-IL)
• Foreign Affairs• Science
Gil Cisneros (D-CA)
• Veterans' Affairs• Armed Services
T.J. Cox (D-CA)
• Agriculture• Natural Resources
Angie Craig (New Dem-MN)
• Agriculture• Transportation and Infrastructure
Jason Crow (New Dem-CO)
• Armed Services• Small Business
Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)
• Natural Resources• Veterans' Affairs
Sharice Davids (New Dem-KS)
• Small Business• Transportation and Infrastructure
Madeleine Dean (New Dem-PA)
• Financial Services• Judiciary
Antonio Delgado (D-NY)
• Agriculture• Small Business• Transportation and Infrastructure
Veronica Escobar (New Dem-TX)
• Armed Services• Judiciary
Abby Finkenauer (D-IA)
• Small Business• Transportation and Infrastructure
Lizzie Fletcher (New Dem-TX)
• Science• Transportation and Infrastructure
Chuy Garcia (D-IL)
• Financial Services• Transportation and Infrastructure
Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
• Financial Services• Judiciary
Jared Golden (D-ME)
• Armed Services• Small Business
Debra Haaland (D-NM)
• Armed Services• Natural Resources
Josh Harder (New Dem-CA)
• Agriculture• Education and Labor
Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
• Agriculture• Education and Labor
Katie Hill (New Dem-CT)
• Armed Services• Oversight• Science
Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)
• Armed Services• Science
Stephen Horsford (New Dem-NV)
• Budget• Ways and Means• Natural Resources
Chrissy Houlahan (New Dem-PA)
• Armed Services• Small Business• Foreign Affairs
Andy Kim (D-NJ)
• Armed Services• Small Business
Ann Kirkpatrick (New Dem-AZ)
• Agriculture• Appropriations
Susie Lee (New Dem-NV)
• Education and Labor• Veterans' Affairs
Andy Levin (D-MI)
• Education and Labor• Foreign Affairs• Veterans' Affairs
Mike Levin (D-CA)
• Natural Resources
Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA)
• Armed Services• Veterans' Affairs
Tom Malinowski (New Dem-NJ)
• Veterans' Affairs• Transportation and Infrastructure
Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)
• Financial Services• Science
Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)
• Education and Labor• Judiciary
Joseph Morelle (D-NY)
• Budget• Education and Labor• Rules
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (New Dem-FL)
• Judiciary• Transportation and Infrastructure
Joe Neguse (D-CO)
• Judiciary• Natural Resources
AOC (D-NY)
• Financial Services• Oversight
Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
• Budget• Education and Labor• Foreign Affairs
Chris Pappas (New Dem-NH)
• Veterans' Affairs• Transportation and Infrastructure
Dean Phillips (New Dem-MN)
• Financial Services• Foreign Affairs
Katie Porter (D-CA)
• Financial Services
Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
• Financial Services• Oversight
The worst Democratic members of Congress-- posing proudlyMax Rose (Blue Dog-NY)
• Veterans' Affairs• Homeland Security
Harley Rouda (New Dem-CA)
• Oversight• Transportation and Infrastructure
Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)
• Judiciary• Rules
Kim Schrier (New Dem-WA)
• Agriculture• Education and Labor
Donna Shalala (D-FL)
• Education and Labor• Rules
Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ)
• Armed Services• Space
Elissa Slotkin (New Dem-MI)
• Armed Services• Homeland Security
Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA)
• Agriculture• Foreign Affairs
Greg Stanton (New Dem-AZ)
• Judiciary• Transportation and Infrastructure
Haley Stevens (New Dem-MI)
• Education and Labor• Science
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
• Financial Services• Oversight
Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM)
• Armed Services• Homeland Security
Lori Trahan (D-MA)
• Armed Services• Education and Labor
David Trone (D-MD)
• Foreign Affairs• Education and Labor
Lauren Underwood (D-IL)
• Veterans' Affairs• Education and Labor• Homeland Security
Jeff Van Drew (Blue Dog-NJ)
• Agriculture• Natural Resources
Jennifer Wexton (New Dem-VA)
• Financial Services• Science
Susan Wild (New Dem-PA)
• Foreign Affairs• Education and Labor