Jimmy Gomez

The progressive duo say they're barnstorming Republican-held districts with the message of "when we are organized and fight back, we can defeat oligarchy."

Democratic members of Congress, back home in their districts for the last week, have been encountering a level of anger and hostility that some see as reminiscent of the 2010 Tea Party wave.Why it matters: The dynamic could spill over into 2026 primaries, lawmakers tell Axios, with the infuriated grassroots attempting to throw out House and Senate Democrats they see as unprepared to take on Trump."Any Democratic incumbent who thinks they can rest on their laurels and not show their constituents that they are fighting like hell is making a mistake," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).A senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer an even blunter assessment, told Axios: "The people that have been voting ... with Republicans on these messaging bills are people that could get primaried.""These groups are paying attention to that," the lawmaker said.State of play: Democratic town halls across the country have been erupting into fury over Senate Democrats' decision to let a Republican spending bill pass rather than use it as leverage to constrain DOGE.Several House Democrats, pressed on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) folding in the government spending fight, have responded that the Senate leader should step down.Rep. Sean Casten's (D-Ill.) town hall was repeatedly rocked by disruptions and was shut down by police after 45 minutes due to outbursts from pro-Palestinian protesters.What we're hearing: The senior House Democrat told Axios that a colleague called them after a town hall crying and said: "They hate us. They hate us.""Among the things I got [at a town hall] were: 'Will you call for Chuck Schumer to resign?'" the lawmaker said. "Last week I got: 'You need to tell your leadership they had no right rebuking Democrats for being strong at'" Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress."Another thing I got was: 'Democrats are too nice. Nice and civility doesn't work. Are you prepared for violence?'"What they're saying: "The level of exasperation is comparable [to the Tea Party] for sure, even if the issues and policies are very different," said Huffman.To Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who has faced the same left-wing primary challenger for three election cycles in a row, this crack-up has been a long time coming: "The base has been pissed off for a while.""I've been dealing with it for a long time ... since 2020 at least. But most members didn't feel it because they weren't in top-two elections," Gomez said. Still, he acknowledged, it "seems to be more widespread" now.Said Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.): "My constituents have passionately said they are not happy with Democratic leadership. ... They expect more from me and from Democrats in Congress."By the numbers: For the first time since at least the aftermath of the 2008 election, Democratic voters have a net-negative approval rating of their party in Congress, according to an analysis of polling data from Politico.A Quinnipiac poll found that just 40% of Democrats approve of the job congressional Democrats are doing, down from 75% a year earlier.That closely mirrors the numbers Republicans faced in some of their most turbulent moments: The emergence of the Tea Party in 2010, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) 2014 primary loss and the rise of now-President Trump in 2016.Yes, but: Other Democrats say the anger they have encountered has been directed more toward Trump and Elon Musk than Democrats."If near unanimity against the Republican CR is not definitive evidence of a party unified in opposition to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, then I am not sure what would be," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) told Axios that "no one expressed displeasure with Democrats" during his last two-hour town hall. People are "back to focusing on Musk and Trump," he said.Republicans have, some lawmakers noted, faced more than their fair share of angry town hall audiences in recent months.The bottom line: "All I know is that most folks are pissed, and scared, and they hate this chaos and the blatant corruption of Trump and Musk," said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio)."Democrats absolutely want leaders who are going to fight back and fix what's broken."

Karla Sofia Gascon's Oscars "nightmare" wasn't as bad as it could've been— Emilia Perez , the film she starred in alongside Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez, took home two Academy Awards on Sunday, including best supporting actress for Saldana and best song for "El Mal." Gascon, the first transgender actor nominated...

The president-elect has five children from his marriages to Ivana Trump, Marla Maples and current wife Melania Trump.

Every now and then, a new song releases and dominates radio airwaves, Spotify playlists, and, of course, the esteemed Billboard Hot 100 chart—and in terms of those types of hits, 2024 has been pretty impressive.

We can provide tax relief to hostages without assaulting civil liberties. It's not that complicated.

Democrat Jimmy Gomez wins reelection to U.S. House in California's 34th Congressional District

Representatives are elected to two-year terms without term limits, so they're on your ballot a lot. Here's a look the candidates in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Representatives are elected to two-year terms without term limits, so they're on your ballot a lot. Here's a look the candidates in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The Harris campaign is casting a drastically wider net in recruiting House Democrats to stump for the presidential ticket, gauging the interest of almost every member, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Over a dozen Democratic lawmakers and aides described a "night-and-day" contrast with the surrogate operation under President Biden.To many House members, the shift is evidence of their new importance under the leadership of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former House member.What we're hearing: Harris' campaign has widely canvassed House members about their openness to being surrogates, an effort that began almost immediately after Biden dropped his candidacy in July. The center-left New Democrat Coalition polled their nearly 100 members at the campaign's request to "find out who's available," Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), the group's chair, told Axios.A senior House Democrat said the Harris campaign has "asked all members if they are interested in being surrogates," and those who agreed have been contacted each week about their availability to travel."They've asked what our interest level is in a way I haven't been asked previously. Often it's the people who really want to go do it who say something. This time, they're approaching everyone," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.).Zoom in: Several House Democrats who were not stumping for Biden have signed on to do so for Harris."I wasn't a Biden campaign surrogate because I wasn't asked ... But Kamala, it's a different story," said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.).A top aide to another House Democrat told Axios their boss has been tapped to travel twice and do swing-state media for Harris – a "glaring" difference from their non-existent role for Biden."They have asked for as many members as possible ... to be surrogates," said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), adding that Harris made the request to her directly when they were at an event together.Between the lines: The Harris campaign knows "the Biden team had an issue of many members not feeling included and are attempting to address the issue of including more people," said the senior House Democrat.Lawmakers saw Biden's approach as a function of his age and reliance on his tight inner circle and campaign co-chairs, including Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)."He has his circle, and they have their friends, and their friends have their friends, and that's it. And that's maybe what they're comfortable with," said another House Democrat.Biden was "leaning on the ones that were his surrogates when he was running the first time" in 2020, said Kamlager-Dove, while Harris "basically jumped into this a month ago."Yes, but: Sources noted that the general election was just starting at the time of the disastrous debate that precipitated Biden's withdrawal weeks later.The Harris campaign has also retained most of Biden's staff infrastructure, including Hillary Beard, a former chief of staff to Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) who oversees relationships with House members.Harris is also facing a truncated schedule, with Pocan telling Axios the vice president called many members the day Biden dropped out because she "realized that if you're starting a campaign with little runway, you've got to hit [the ground] more than sprinting."And Harris is trying to expand the map. "You're seeing surrogates go to Florida, you're seeing surrogates in Texas," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).Zoom out: House members, feeling more highly regarded by Harris and her team, are rewarding the vice president in turn with far greater enthusiasm.One House Democrat who expressed interest in speaking at the Democratic National Convention was told by their staff that while it may have been feasible under Biden, there is far more competition for public-facing roles in Harris' candidacy.The Harris campaign has been hearing from members proactively reaching out with offers of assistance, according to a source familiar with the matter.Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios the campaign has "more interested surrogates than they know what to do with."The bottom line: "It's night-and-day," said Kuster, who told Axios roughly three-fourths of her group's members expressed interest in being Harris surrogates."Everybody wants in on this campaign, and they're excited about it."

Local Democratic lawmakers say Walz, a Midwestern governor, is smart, reliable and "the perfect complement to the Harris ticket."

To boycott or not to boycott? That was the devilish question California's Democrats grappled with on Wednesday

A number of Democratic lawmakers, governors and past leaders were quick to rally behind Vice President Harris as she pursues the Democratic Party's presidential nomination following President Biden's withdrawal from the race. Shortly after dropping out of the presidential race, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor, stating it is "time to come together and beat" [...]

"I remain a Biden fan and will always support you," one House Democrat said.