BOWIE, Md. (AP) — U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer and Jerrold Nadler, two of the top Democrats in Congress, are retiring when their terms expire in January, but they will continue to make their imprints on Washington.
The pair passed the torch Tuesday night to former aides who won the Democratic primaries to replace them on Capitol Hill, and because both districts are overwhelmingly blue, they are all but certain to win in November and get sworn in to replace their
former bosses.
Hoyer and Nadler are the latest lawmakers to successfully anoint their successors after spending decades in Congress. Among 68 members of Congress not seeking reelection this year, at least five have endorsed former staffers to replace them and more than a dozen others have, to varying degrees, worked to smooth the path to Capitol Hill for their favored replacements.
The practice can be controversial, particularly when lawmakers try to strategically time their announcement to give favored insiders the upper hand.
But even at a time when voters give Congress a dismal approval rating, they're often receptive to the recommendation of their own representative.
That was the case for Natasha Greensword, 45, who backed Adrian Boafo in Maryland's Democratic primary on Tuesday in part because he was endorsed by Hoyer, who has represented the area since 1981.
“It was a plus," Greensword said. There was also a racial component that resonated for Greensword, a Jamaican immigrant. “It did help him to have a white man endorsing a Black candidate and saying he’s got our backs,” she said.
Support from a well-known member of Congress can lift a candidate’s stature, which is particularly helpful if they’re not well known and need to stand out in a crowded field. But it can also backfire, particularly in the anti-incumbent environment that influenced so many prominent Democrats’ decision to step aside.
Norma James, 64, said she skipped over Boafo in Maryland’s primary in part because of Hoyer’s endorsement.
“If Steny was endorsing him, he’s not the one you want,” James said.
Many departing lawmakers prefer to keep their preferences to themselves when it comes time to hang it up. Others go to great lengths to arrange things how they want.
Most infamously, Democratic Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois earned a formal reprimand from a bipartisan majority of the House for a particularly aggressive strategy to keep his seat in friendly hands.
Garcia announced his retirement plans just after the deadline to file paperwork to run for the seat. By then, his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, was the only candidate who had submitted the needed paperwork. She went on to win the primary for the Chicago-area district with 100% of the vote.
The maneuvering by Chuy Garcia and Patty Garcia, who aren't related, drove a wedge between House Democrats. Chuy Garcia dismissed allegations he was being deceptive, saying he made a last-minute decision not to run because of health and family considerations.
But Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., said Garcia's actions amounted to “election subversion” and introduced the resolution to reprimand him.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Steve Daines pulled a similar move in Montana. He quietly coordinated with former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who filed paperwork to run for the office nearly simultaneously with Daines withdrawing from the race. It all went down minutes before the filing deadline. Alme faced no serious opposition for the party's nomination and won the primary with 76% of the vote.
Daines coordinated his surprise handoff with the White House, and President Donald Trump immediately backed Alme. The last-minute shuffle avoided a potentially damaging Republican primary and caught Democrats flat-footed.
Other lawmakers have taken a lighter touch to try and sway the direction of their district after they're gone, and not always successfully.
Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., made clear that state Rep. La Shawn Ford was his preferred successor after nearly three decades in Congress, but that wasn't enough to clear the field for him. Ford eked out a narrow win in a crowded primary in March.
In California, Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley made a quick endorsement of Assembly member Jacqui Irwin. She still had a contested primary, but she comfortably won a spot in the general election.
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman had better luck in South Carolina. Nobody challenged his chosen successor, state Sen. Wes Climer, who ran unopposed for the party's nomination.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't recruit a preferred replacement as San Francisco's representative in Congress, and she declined to weigh in on the contentious battle to replace her until the last minute. Days before the primary, she endorsed county Supervisor Connie Chan, helping her make it to the general election in November.
Hoyer, 87, was the longtime No. 2 Democrat in House leadership. Nadler, 79, was the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and is the dean of New York's congressional delegation after 34 years in Congress.
Both decided not to run for reelection this year in the face of a Democratic base hungry to push aside their party's aging leaders in Washington.
Hoyer backed his former campaign manager, Boafo, who is now a Maryland state delegate, in a crowded field of 24 candidates.
“Y’all, I gotta give a special thanks to my mentor, to my friend, Steny Hamilton Hoyer,” Boafo said after winning the Democratic primary Tuesday night.
“Tonight, the Democratic voters of the 5th Congressional District decided that it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders," he said. "And it’s with great humility that I accept that responsibility.”
Nadler endorsed state Assemblyman Micah Lasher, a longtime aide to New York Democrats including Nadler, in a feisty primary for the Manhattan House seat.
Lasher hailed his ex-boss in a victory speech, saying Nadler has been a political presence throughout his life.
“When I was born, I was already Assemblyman Nadler’s constituent,” Lasher said, adding that he later “watched as Congressman Nadler led fights long before they were convenient.”
At least three other retiring lawmakers backed former aides to succeed them, including Chuy Garcia.
Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia endorsed his former chief of staff, Rob Adkerson, who lost the primary in a runoff. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., endorsed his district director, Aaron Flint, within hours of announcing his decision not to run for reelection. Flint won a four-person primary earlier this month.
The congressional turnover comes as Americans hold dismal views of their congressional leaders.
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Cooper reported from Phoenix.
