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“Not the Time to Panic”

Hill Democrats aren’t just depressed about their lack of political power and direction. Privately, they wonder aloud how they’ve been swept up in a McCarthy-esque cultural purge. Rep. Adam Smith offers a slightly more constructive view.

Adam Smith
Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, has no intention of being the next leader, which may be one reason he has no qualms with challenging his own party or making enemies. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
February 16, 2025

Earlier this month, at the height of Democrats’ apparent powerlessness, a visibly despondent Hakeem Jeffries inadvertently summarized his party’s dilemma. “I’m trying to figure out what leverage we have,” the House minority leader told a reporter. “They control the House, the Senate, and the presidency. It’s their government.” Democrats would do their best to work with their colleagues, he continued, but they also needed to acknowledge “an overwhelming mandate that was given to Republicans by the American people.”