Overview
- House Democratic Caucus members will vote by secret ballot on June 24 to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Gerry Connolly’s death.
- Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Robert Garcia, Stephen Lynch and Kweisi Mfume have all officially launched bids for the ranking member post.
- Crockett, 44, and Garcia, 47, embody a newer progressive cohort while Lynch, 70, and Mfume, 77, emphasize decades of institutional experience.
- The ranking member could become committee chair and lead high-profile investigations into the Trump administration if Democrats reclaim the House in the 2026 midterms.
- Candidates have pursued endorsements and peer outreach through text campaigns, “dear colleague” letters, and Lynch’s endorsement by the late Connolly alongside Mfume’s appeals to Elijah Cummings’s legacy.