U.S. Rep.-elect Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania is running for a position in the House Democratic leadership, arguing that the nearly 60 incoming freshmen should be represented as the caucus forms its messaging strategy for defending its newly obtained majority.
"I think that people recognize that there is this great big class of people who are coming in with kind of fresh experience and fresh legs and fresh ideas and that if we would like to maintain the majority that we need to make sure that we're listening to everybody," she said in an interview.
Houlahan is running for one of the three co-chair slots on the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, the messaging arm of the caucus.
There are at least five candidates in that race already: Reps Debbie Dingell of Michigan, Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, Adriano Espaillat of New York and John Garamendi and Ted Lieu of California. But Houlahan is the only one running from the incoming freshman class.
"We need someone who's been through this recently to be able to have that conversation about what it is really like to be a candidate or a congressperson in the post-Trump environment," she said.
Houlahan understands that her late entry in the race puts her a little behind but she believes that her background as an engineer, veteran, businesswoman and educator provide her with unique skills to offer the committee.
"Many of the people who will be running in this presidential year will be either be protecting or running newly in seats (while) we're probably going to be needing to talk about all of those issues I have experience with," she said.
"It will be important that we're able to maintain the messaging that I think is what the Democratic Party is all about, which is you know jobs and education, opportunity for everyone and health care, the planet," Houlahan said. "Those are the kitchen-table issues that we should all be talking about."
Houlahan was one of Democrats' star recruits of the 2018 cycle _ among the first 11 candidates named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue program _ but she didn't end up having much trouble winning in Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District after Republican Rep. Ryan Costello decided not to seek re-election after the state was redistricted.
Still, she said she learned a lot during her two-year campaign in a district that has made up of 40 percent Democrats, 40 percent Republicans and 20 percent independents.
"I understand the rigors of a difficult race in a large media market. With so many frontline races in 2020, it will be critical to have voices crafting our message who understand the challenges of a highly competitive district," Houlahan said in a letter sent Sunday to Democrats, announcing her candidacy.
