Sean Patrick Maloney

House Democrats elected Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos on Thursday to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2020 election cycle.

Bustos won in the first round of voting, finishing ahead of Washington Reps. Denny Heck and Suzan DelBene. The tally was 117 votes for Bustos, with Heck at 83 and DelBene at 32. 

House Democrats decided on their top leaders Wednesday — all except the highest-ranking one. Nancy Pelosi overwhelmingly secured the caucus’s nomination for speaker, but a sizable group of opponents appears determined to keep the California Democrat from officially claiming the gavel on Jan. 3. 

Pelosi got 203 votes on the caucus ballot, but her allies believe that’s far lower than what she can earn on the floor. There were 32 “no” votes and three blanks. New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is supporting Pelosi, was absent. 

New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is running for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, is requesting the caucus delay voting on that position while he recovers from a severe bacterial infection.

The caucus is scheduled to hold its leadership elections Wednesday — and Thursday if additional time is needed to conclude the proceedings — but Maloney is not in a condition to travel to Washington.

For the first time, House Democrats are competing in an open race to lead the party’s campaign arm next cycle. And the new leader’s responsibilities will include something no predecessor has faced in a decade: protecting their chamber majority.

The race to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is currently a four-way contest between Reps. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, and Denny Heck and Suzan DelBene of Washington. The DCCC chairmanship was an appointed position until 2016, after Democratic losses led to demands for changes at the committee. Current DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján is running for assistant Democratic leader.

New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney on Saturday became the fourth candidate to enter the race to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee heading into the 2020 cycle. 

The position to head up the House Democrats’ campaign arm is quickly becoming the most coveted leadership slot, even though the party will be defending a number of seats in traditionally Republican districts in two years time. The current DCCC chairman, New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Luján — coming off a strong midterm election that has seen the party pick up over 30 seats and take back the House — is running for assistant Democratic leader.

Democrats are slamming Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos over a report that the Department of Education is considering allowing states to use federal dollars to purchase guns for schools.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have the discretion to approve state or local plans to purchase guns for teachers.

Maria Christina Martinez was 18 years old when nine Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rolled up in black SUVs outside her family’s Newburgh, New York, apartment at 6 a.m.

They were looking for her father, Martin Martinez.

A House hopeful made an appearance at votes Tuesday, shaking hands with a group of young Democratic lawmakers outside the House chamber. They weren’t talking campaign strategy; instead, the chatter focused instead on congressional baseball.

Danny O’Connor is the Democrat running in Ohio’s 12 district for a seat vacated when Rep. Pat Tiberi left Congress to take a job back in Ohio. He had a home state ambassador in Rep. Tim Ryan, who was scooting in and out of the chamber during the vote series to fetch a rotating cast of House Democrats to meet O’Connor. Rep. Joe Kennedy III was also searching for colleagues to meet the candidate, who connected with  Sean Patrick Maloney,  Linda T. Sánchez and others. 

After Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney demanded the House of Representatives provide feminine hygiene products, his office received 500 tampons from six private individuals located across the U.S.

The New York Democrat is offering the tampons to fellow congressional offices through an email he will be sending to all House offices.

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert defended fellow Republican Rep. Jim Jordan from accusations that he knew about sexual abuse, praising Jordan’s character compared to that of his accusers.

Seven former wrestlers are accusing Jordan of having known about sexual abuse from Ohio State University team physician Dr. Richard Strauss, who committed suicide in 2005.