- Leonard is the archetype of a burgeoning breed of House Democrats — populist in style, receptive to left-wing policies and unbound by traditional political norms — who will be well represented in the 120th Congress.
- “I really vibe with my class,” he told Axios in an interview Tuesday on Capitol Hill. “These are ordinary citizens who heard the same call as me and who stood up.”
State of affairs: Leonard, an urban planning professor who defeated Republican Mike Carey in last Tuesday’s midterm elections, was turning heads at the Capitol even before arriving Sunday for freshman orientation.
- He told his local CBS affiliate the day after the election that he would “look for a new leader” unless House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) changes his pro-Israel positions.
- He caused an even bigger stir Tuesday with a video he posted on social media saying he met with “high-ranking members” who warned him his life would be “hell” and that he would lose re-election if he opposed Jeffries for Speaker of the House.
The other side: House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), when asked about Leonard’s video at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, told reporters, “I don’t know which senior Democrats he’s talking about.”
- “I think all of us here can attest to the work and time and energy that Hakeem Jeffries put into helping us build this majority,” Aguilar said.
- Aguilar predicted that Jeffries would be “overwhelmingly selected” as a speaker and that he would not “lose any sleep over it.”
- “Members may have ideas and interests and requests along the way, but the outcome is not in question,” he added.
What they say: Leonard, in his interview with Axios later Tuesday afternoon, called the conversation depicted in his video a “friendly” and “well-intentioned” conversation with “people who have been on the Hill for a very long time.”
- “They let me know that even though we all agree on a lot of things…the leader is going to pursue his message and his agenda as he sees fit, and (he said), ‘Don’t be crazy. How could you stand in the way?”
- In addition to cutting U.S. aid to Israel, Leonard said he wants Jeffries to commit to supporting a constitutional amendment to ban super PACs.
- “The time for half-measures is over,” he told Axios. “I hear people, even members of the Progressive Caucus, saying, ‘Maybe we’re just taxing super PACs.’ Y’all, we need a 28th Amendment. »
Between the lines: Leonard said he was also upset by House Democrats’ seniority system, which makes it difficult for new members to gain access to some of the most coveted committees.
- “I’m just a little confused and frustrated right now as to why the Democratic caucus is so hierarchical when it comes to these committees,” he told Axios.
- Leonard added: “When we’re less Democratic than the Republican Party…that raises questions for me.”
What’s next: The Ohio Democrat said he had the opportunity to meet with Jeffries for the first time on Tuesday and arrange for his aides to find a time to sit down and talk.
- “I shook his hand and I asked him for six minutes,” he said, telling Axios that he wanted to “look him in the eye, let him know that (I) respect his ability as a leader…but I need something to take back to my constituency that shows that my party understands the magnitude of the crisis we face.”
- “I hope I can convince him in six minutes that we don’t have to cross that bridge, but my constituents aren’t bluffing and neither am I.”
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