As Democrats aim to retake the House in the upcoming midterms, San Diego Rep. Sara Jacobs looks to take on a larger role in party leadership.
The 37-year-old San Diego native is poised to secure a fourth term in the House and could soon become the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, expanding her influence in Congress.
Jacobs announced her interest in the role in a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter at the end of August.
“Building the Caucus we need will not happen on its own,” Jacobs wrote. “It will require all of us to keep doing the hard, important work we have long been committed to — in every corner of our Caucus — listening to one another, working through differences, and seeking solutions together.”
Jacobs’ team declined to provide additional comment to Times of San Diego.
Since the letter went public, Jacobs’ campaign has focused on a Democratic takeover in the midterms.
But regardless of how the election turns out, the role she’s seeking will be vacant, opening an opportunity for her to climb the leadership ladder regardless of how the midterms play out.
Rep. Ted Lieu, who represents western Los Angeles County, is the current caucus vice chair, but he is term-limited. The Democratic caucus rules say chair and vice chair cannot serve more than two consecutive full terms. Lieu is expected to become caucus chair if Democrats take the majority in the House.
Carl Luna, a political science professor at the University of San Diego, said this could be the start of a long run for Jacobs as a party leader in the House.
“She is destined for a senior leadership position,” he said.
If Democrats gain control of Congress, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — who campaigned Thursday with San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert in her campaign against San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond for California’s 48th Congressional District — is expected to become speaker, the party’s top role. Other established party leaders would then move up the ladder accordingly.
Casey Burgat, the director of the legislative affairs program at George Washington University, said the results of the election will be one thing, but a Democratic takeover of the House would give political leverage for the remainder of Trump’s term.
A House majority would give Democrats the power to shape the legislative agenda, potentially blocking or delaying Republican priorities while launching investigations into the Trump administration.
Even without the power to enact their own agenda over Republican opposition, Democrats could make it harder for Trump to advance his priorities and keep pressure on his administration.
“They have already precommitted to using their position of majority to … stall legislation that the president wants or the Senate wants, for that matter,” Burgat said. “(It) gives you institutional resources of staff and subpoena power.”
Potentially standing in Jacobs’ way up in the Democratic hierarchy is Rep. Lauren Underwood, a four-term congressmember from Illinois
Underwood has already publicly discussed her bid for the role.
“I just think you know, we have an opportunity to help our caucus be successful and build a durable majority, and that’s what I’m interested in doing,” Underwood told POLITICO.
Jacobs and Underwood have similar upbringings within the Democratic Party — though different priorities — and both sit in comfortable blue districts.
Luna said it’ll come down to “what backstory they want.”
Jacobs has focused on foreign policy, defense, international development and human rights during her first three terms in Congress. Underwood, a registered nurse, worked on disasters, health, maternal health, appropriations and public health emergencies during her four terms.
Ultimately, Burgat said, it’ll come down to who is most popular among House Democrats.
“Both of them are really faithful Democrats,” Burgat said. “They both represent safe seats, and this will just come down to who the membership likes better. That can be a razor-thin vote, or you can get the endorsement of someone important within the party, and folks just defer to that.”
The caucus vice chair is responsible for aiding the caucus chair with setting the agenda and presiding over weekly caucus meetings and other official activity. But for representatives in safe seats focused more on moving up within House leadership than seeking other political roles, it is a key position.
Three of the last four vice chairs have been Californians. Burgat said the role’s past occupants, all being from California, could “cut both ways.”
“There’s going to be arguments to make for Jacob’s competitors, saying, ‘Hey, we already had California represented in this position. Let’s try to expand the party a little bit to give other people a shot from other regions or demographics,’” said Burgat. “At the same time, California is the biggest state. It’s an extremely heavy Democratic delegation, and so they like to keep those positions, that value, reflected in leadership positions, and this is one of the ways they do that.”
The Democratic members of the House will elect the new chairman and vice chair before the beginning of the next Congress. The 120th Congress will start on Jan. 3.
