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Former Democrat Hill staffers challenge the aging establishment in Congress: report
With Republicans firmly in control of Washington following the 2024 elections and President Trump implementing his second-term agenda, Democrats find themselves not just out of power but at odds over what the party stands for.
A new wave of candidates has emerged: not from outside the political system, but from within the Democratic establishment itself.
According to Roll Call, at least four former Democratic congressional staffers are now running against long-serving members of their own party.
These challengers say they were motivated by frustration with the Democratic leadership’s lack of direction, ineffective communication, and failure to respond to Trump’s political momentum.
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Jake Rakov, a former deputy communications director for Rep. Brad Sherman, is running to unseat his onetime boss in California’s 32nd District. (Photo courtesy of campaign) (Courtesy of Rakov campaign)
Each of these candidates brings a unique perspective, but all share a common theme: the belief that the Democratic Party is no longer equipped to meet the moment.
Saikat Chakrabarti, the 32-year-old former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is taking on one of the most iconic figures in the Democratic Party: former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, who has not yet confirmed if she will seek a 20th term, faces increasing calls for generational change within her solidly blue district.
Chakrabarti told Roll Call that he was disillusioned by what he saw in Democrat leadership. «The main thing my time in Washington taught me is that the current Democratic Party and its leaders are not at all prepared for what is going on right now,» he said.
Instead of taking on Trump strategically, he said, Democratic leadership was more concerned with bureaucratic details than national messaging.
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Saikat Chakrabarti, chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center where freshman House Democrats responded to negative comments by President Trump that were directed them on Monday, July 15, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
«The party thinks their main job is fundraising all day, and not fixing real problems for voters,» he added.
Jake Rakov, a 33-year-old former deputy communications director for Rep. Brad Sherman, is now running against his former boss in California’s San Fernando Valley. Sherman, who has served in Congress since 1997, is among the more senior Democrats now facing internal challenges.
Rakov said he decided to run after witnessing what he described as an outdated and ineffective approach to politics. «Looking after Trump won again and seeing [Sherman] use the exact same talking points that I helped draft for him back in 2017… he was still doing the same outdated things,» Rakov said. «He hasn’t been able to adapt.»
Sherman, for his part, dismissed the challenge, telling Roll Call that «nobody who’s actually involved in the civic affairs of my district runs against me,» suggesting Rakov lacks a connection to the community.
Jason Friedman, a former intern for Sen. Dick Durbin, is running for Congress in Illinois and challenging Rep. Danny Davis in the 2026 Democratic primary. (Photo courtesy of campaign)
In Illinois, 51-year-old Jason Friedman, once an intern for Sen. Dick Durbin, is now running to replace longtime Rep. Danny K. Davis, who at 83 is one of the oldest members of the House.
Davis has not yet announced whether he will run for a 16th term.
Though Friedman declined to be interviewed, he issued a statement warning about threats to democracy and economic stability from Trump and Elon Musk. His decision to run highlights growing restlessness even in safely blue districts like Davis’s, where younger candidates are eager to offer a new direction.
While most of the former staffers are challenging Democrats, Jordan Wood is taking on a well-established Republican: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Wood, previously chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter, is entering a tough race in a purple state where Collins has consistently won reelection.
Wood’s message echoes that of his fellow challengers: frustration with political stagnation and a desire to bring in new leadership. «I’m tired of waiting for the same establishment politicians to fix these problems,» Wood told Roll Call, citing concerns about affordability and economic pressure on working families.
These challengers reflect a broader generational divide within the Democratic Party. Roll Call reports that they are all under 40, except for Friedman, who at 51 is still younger than the House’s median age of 57.
While their targets vary, their critiques are consistent: long-serving Democrats are not communicating effectively, not organizing nationally, and not offering solutions that resonate with frustrated voters.
Chakrabarti and Rakov both criticized the Democratic strategy of focusing solely on local races while the GOP builds a cohesive national message. «We need a national message; that’s the way to defeat the far right,» Chakrabarti said.
«I don’t think Democratic leaders like Pelosi believe it is possible to improve Americans’ lives that dramatically, so we don’t even try.»
While Republicans continue to refine their national messaging and build momentum under President Trump’s leadership, Democrats are facing a credibility crisis within their own ranks.
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These former insiders challenging sitting members aren’t merely a flash in the pan for 2026’s early campaign cycle. They’re a sign of a party deeply unsure of how to respond to conservative policy gains, economic concerns, and a rejuvenated Republican base.
Politics,Congress,House Of Representatives,House of Representatives Democrats
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Entrevista a un habitante de Gaza: «Hamas representa una pequeña parte del pueblo palestino»
Palestinos transportan el cuerpo de una persona fallecida en ataques aéreos israelíes en el Hospital Al-Shifa de la ciudad de Gaza. Foto EFE
Moumen Al Natour, ciudadano de la Franja de Gaza, entrevistado por Clarín.INTERNACIONAL
Vindman’s call to release Trump-MBS transcript reopens old questions in US-Saudi relationship
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Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., is demanding that President Donald Trump release a 2019 call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the American people «deserve to know what was said» in the aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
Vindman, a retired Army colonel who once served on Trump’s National Security Council, said the call was one of two that deeply concerned him — the other being the 2019 conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that triggered Trump’s first impeachment.
Standing beside Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the slain journalist’s widow, Vindman said Trump «sidelined his own intelligence community to shield a foreign leader» and that transparency is owed to both the Khashoggi family and the country.
«The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was said on that call,» Vindman said Friday. «Our intelligence agencies concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Mr. Khashoggi’s husband. When the president sidelined his own intelligence community to shield a foreign leader, America’s credibility was at stake.»
Rep. Eugene Vindman demands 2019 Saudi call transcripts be released. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
TRUMP SECURES RELEASE OF AMERICAN TRAPPED IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR YEARS OVER ONLINE POSTS
Vindman’s name already is polarizing in Trump-era politics.
He and his twin brother, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, became central figures in the first impeachment attempt against Trump, when their internal reporting of Trump’s Ukraine call led to accusations from conservatives that they had undermined an elected president. To Trump’s allies, Eugene Vindman’s demand to release the 2019 Saudi call feels like a replay of that fight — another attempt by a former National Security Council insider to damage the president under the banner of transparency.
Still, his comments land at a revealing moment. Washington’s embrace of bin Salman underscores a familiar trade-off in U.S. foreign policy: strategic security and economic interests over accountability and human rights.
«Trump doesn’t give a fist pump. I grab that hand,» Trump told reporters Tuesday. «I don’t give a hell where that hand’s been — I grab that hand.» (Nathan Howard/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: «The U.S.-Saudi friendship is now a partnership for the future. President Trump’s historic agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from defense to investment, will create quality jobs for Americans and will grow our economy. No virtue-signaling. No lecturing. Only results for the American people.»
White House relations
Trump’s latest visit with bin Salman brought sweeping defense and investment deals, even as questions over 9/11 and Khashoggi’s murder continue to test that balance. The United States granted Saudi Arabia major non-NATO ally status, formally elevating the kingdom’s defense and intelligence partnership with Washington and clearing the way for expedited arms sales and joint military programs.
Bin Salman also pledged nearly $1 trillion in new Saudi investments across U.S. industries, including infrastructure, artificial intelligence and clean energy. The commitments were announced alongside a Strategic Defense Agreement that includes purchases of F-35 fighter jets, roughly 300 Abrams tanks and new missile defense systems, as well as joint ventures to expand manufacturing inside Saudi Arabia.
Administration officials said the initiatives would create tens of thousands of American jobs and strengthen the U.S. industrial base.
During his appearance with Trump at the White House, reporters shouted questions about Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the Sept. 11 attacks and the 2018 killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — marking a rare moment of public pressure on the crown prince, who typically avoids unscripted exchanges with the press.
Trump accused the press of trying to «embarrass» his guest, but the crown prince offered what sounded like regret for the killing of Khashoggi, even as he denied involvement.
«A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,» Trump said. «Whether you like him or don’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it … We can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.»
ABC reporter Mary Bruce had told bin Salman that U.S. intelligence determined he’d signed off on the killing and that 9/11 families were «furious» about his presence in the White House. «Why should Americans trust you?»
«It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,» bin Salman said of the killing, calling it «a huge mistake.» «We’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again,» he added.
Jamal Khashoggi, pictured above with his wife Hanan Elatr. (@hananelatr via X)
TRUMP DESIGNATES SAUDI ARABIA AS MAJOR NON-NATO ALLY DURING CROWN PRINCE WHITE HOUSE VISIT
A 2021 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated: «We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.»
Bin Salman has repeatedly denied approving the killing, though he said in 2019, «It happened under my watch, I take full responsibility as a leader.»
Sept. 11, 2001
The question of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks remains one of the most sensitive and unresolved issues in the U.S.-Saudi relationship. While 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, the U.S. government has never concluded that the Saudi state or senior Saudi officials had prior knowledge of or directed the attacks.
Families of 9/11 victims condemned bin Salman after he invoked Usama bin Laden during his White House remarks, saying the al Qaeda leader used Saudi nationals to drive a wedge between Washington and Riyadh.
«We have to focus on reality,» the crown prince said. «Reality is that Usama bin Laden used Saudi people in that event for one main purpose: to destroy the American–Saudi relationship. That’s the purpose of 9/11.»
«The Saudi crown prince invoking Usama bin Laden this afternoon in the White House does not change the fact that a federal judge in New York ruled a few short months ago that Saudi Arabia must stand trial for its role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks that murdered 3,000 of our loved ones,» said Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice, a group representing victims’ families.
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In August 2025, U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels issued a landmark ruling bringing Saudi Arabia under U.S. federal jurisdiction for a 9/11 trial. The court found evidence of a network of Saudi officials inside the U.S. who allegedly provided logistical support to the hijackers, citing «prior planning» and «constant coordination.»
Among the materials described in the ruling was a drawing seized from a Saudi government operative showing an airplane with flight-path equations — evidence prosecutors said suggested advance knowledge of the attacks.
Saudi Arabia has denied any role, calling the allegations «categorically false.»
But for bin Salman, who came to Washington seeking to highlight new security and economic ties, the families’ sharp rebuke was a reminder that the 9/11 case still looms large in the public eye, even as the Trump administration deepens its partnership with Riyadh.
saudi arabia,mohammed bin salman,donald trump,joe biden,middle east foreign policy,foreign policy
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La derecha avanza en la región: ¿puede haber un brusco giro ideológico en Chile, Colombia y Brasil?
El mapa ideológico de la región está girando a la derecha y más allá.
Tras el fin de 20 años de gobiernos de izquierda en Bolivia y la asunción del centroderechista Rodrigo Paz, ahora Chile se prepara para dar un viraje de 180 grados con el amplio favoritismo de José Antonio Kast en el balotaje del 14 de diciembre sobre la comunista Jeannette Jara.
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Pero este giro ideológico puede ahondarse en el corto plazo y mucho más el año próximo, incluso en un bastión de la izquierda en Centroamérica.
Así, en Honduras, la derecha es favorita, de la mano del empresario Nasry Asfura, alias “Papi a la orden”, en las elecciones presidenciales del 30 de este mes en las que se elegirá a la sucesora de la izquierdista Xiomara Castro.
Además, en 2026 la derecha buscará profundizar aún más su avance en tres países del área que celebrarán elecciones presidenciales: Perú, Colombia y hasta Brasil, el último gran bastión de la izquierda democrática en Sudamérica.
Cómo está hoy el mapa ideológico de la región
La derecha, con sus distintas vertientes, revirtió el dominio de la izquierda en la región.
Sus mayores representantes son Javier Milei, en Argentina; Santiago Peña; en Paraguay; Rodrigo Paz, en Bolivia; Daniel Noboa, en Ecuador, y hasta el democristiano José Jeri, de Perú.
La derecha más dura tiene amplias o buenas posibilidades -según el caso- de llegar al poder en Perú, Colombia y hasta en Brasil, donde Luiz Lula da Silva se presenta como el dique de contención de la izquierda, junto al pragmático Yamandú Orsi en Uruguay, contra el fuerte avance de la ultraderecha en el área. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva quiere otros cuatro años de gobierno (Foto: REUTERS/Adriano Machado)
El panorama en los seis países que tendrán elecciones de aquí a fines de 2026 se presenta muy favorable para la derecha:
- Honduras: los candidatos opositores Nasry Asfura, del Partido Nacional, y Salvador Nasralla, del Partido Liberal, son favoritos para ganar las elecciones del 30 de este mes sobre la postulante oficialista de izquierda Rixi Moncada. Nasralla prometió que, de llegar a la presidencia, romperá relaciones con Venezuela
- Chile: el balotaje del 14 de diciembre tiene como favorito al ultraderechista José Antonio Kast, del Partido Republicano, sobre su rival oficialista Jeanette Jara, afiliada al Partido Comunista. “Kast ya ganó”, dijo a TN la analista chilena Marta Lagos, fundadora de la consultora Latinobarómetro y la encuestadora MORI Chile.
Jose Antonio Kast es favorito para la segunda vuelta de Chile (Foto: REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido)
- Costa Rica: elegirá al sucesor del conservador Rodrigo Chávez el 1 de febrero. La candidata oficialista del Partido Pueblo Soberano (PPS), Laura Fernández, es la favorita de todas las encuestas.
- Perú: las elecciones se celebrarán el 12 de abril. Hoy, los mayores favoritos son el ultraderechista exalcalde de Lima Rafael López-Aliaga, apodado “Porki”, y la derechista Keiko Fujimori, hija del fallecido expresidente devenido en dictador Alberto Fujimori. Si bien Perú es conocido como el país de los “outsiders”, se espera un giro a la derecha tras el fracaso del izquierdista Pedro Castillo y de su vice y sucesora Dina Boluarte, ambos destituidos por el Congreso.
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- Colombia: las elecciones se realizarán el 31 de mayo. El presidente Gustavo Petro enfrenta una fuerte impopularidad y la derecha aspira a volver al poder. “Aquí también se está dando ese crecimiento del enganche de gente de todos los niveles sociales” a la ultraderecha, dijo a TN el consultor argentino Ángel Beccassino, considerado un verdadero gurú de las estrategias políticas en el país. Un dirigente emergente es el abogado Abelardo de la Espriella, alias “El Tigre”. “Propone desde abandonar Naciones Unidas porque es un nido de izquierdistas, hasta ‘arrancarle las tripas´a los de izquierda», dijo el analista. Según Beccassino, “la derecha ultra estará en la segunda vuelta del año próximo” frente a un candidato de centroizquierda.
- Brasil: los comicios están convocados para el 4 de octubre del año próximo. Lula, a los 80 años, buscará la reelección frente a una derecha radical en crisis tras la condena a 27 años de prisión por golpismo contra Jair Bolsonaro. Pero pocos dudas del poder real del bolsonarismo. “Creo que seguirá siendo muy competitivo”, dijo a TN el analista Antonio Lavareda, presidente honorario de la Asociación Brasileña de Investigadores Electorales. La consultora Datrix reveló que en la dura lucha por la sucesión entre los hijos del expresidente, el senador Flavio Bolsonaro le está ganando la batalla a Eduardo Bolsonaro. Pero el gran favorito es Tarcisio de Freitas, fiel aliado del exmandatario y actual gobernador de San Pablo, que le ganaría a Lula en un eventual balotaje, según varias encuestas.
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Desde la Casa Rosada ven este panorama como “esperanzador” para la política exterior argentina de alineamiento total con la Casa Blanca y su ofensiva contra la Venezuela de Nicolás Maduro, cada vez más aislada en la región,
Javier Milei quiere ahondar, en la segunda etapa de su gobierno, “en el ancla geopolítica” del modelo ideológico libertario. A juicio del presidente, EE.UU. necesita un “aliado firme” en la región para “ayudarle a ordenar un continente descarriado” por izquierda.
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