Gregorio Casar

Data: Axios reporting; Note: Axios contacted every Democrat serving in the 119th Congress. The chart includes those who responded; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios Visuals.More than a dozen congressional Democrats plan to sit out President-elect Trump's inauguration, and many more are anxiously grappling with whether to attend, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Not every Democrat skipping the ceremony will do so to protest Trump — but a formal boycott is materializing as a first act of resistance against the incoming president.For many Democrats, the scars of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol remain fresh in the mind, marking Trump as a threat to democracy."For somebody who he said he's going to lock me up, I don't see the excitement in going to see his inauguration," former Jan. 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told Axios.State of play: Martin Luther King Jr. Day coinciding with the Jan. 20 inaugural ceremony gives many Democrats an easy out, though others planning to stay away cited a distaste for inaugurations, a loathing of Trump — and even fears for their safety.Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said that as a Latina, she doesn't "feel safe coming" with Trump's supporters pouring in for the ceremony. "I'm not going to physically be in D.C. on that day," she told Axios.Similarly, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said that attending MLK Day events instead "makes sense, because why risk any chaos that might be up here?"For other members, the reasoning is more mundane: Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) "almost never attends inaugurations" and has only been to two during his 28 years in office, his spokesperson told Axios.What we're hearing: Incoming Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas), who hasn't decided whether to attend, told Axios, "I think you'll have some number of Democrats who go and a substantial number who don't.""There are civil rights organizations that are trying to set up alternatives," said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), adding that Trump's inauguration "seems like the worst place to spend Martin Luther King Day."Several progressives predicted that the boycott won't be confined solely to the party's left flank.Data: Axios reporting; Note: Axios contacted every Democrat serving in the 119th Congress. The chart includes those who responded; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios Visuals.Zoom in: Dozens of Democrats boycotted Trump's first inauguration in 2017, led by the now-deceased congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis.But the Jan. 6 attack, for which Democrats hold Trump squarely responsible, has added a new layer of disgust for some.Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) told Axios he "cannot be a part of that spectacle" as someone who was "locked in my office ... as the insurrectionists tried to overthrow our government.""I was trapped in the [House] gallery on Jan. 6," Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said, explaining her intention to skip the ceremonies.Between the lines: Many undecideds are painfully trying to balance their sense of obligation with their detestation for Trump, as USA Today first detailed on Thursday.Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) expressed alignment with his colleagues who cannot bring themselves to go — but said he also believes members of Congress are "supposed to go to all of that stuff.""I'm struggling," the veteran lawmaker conceded.The other side: A sizable number of Democrats are prepared to grit their teeth and show up — if only to try to rebuild public faith in national institutions after the events that followed the 2020 election."I'm planning to attend ... because I believe in the peaceful transition of power and I respect the Office of the President," Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) told Axios.Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said progressives "are coming down in different ways," but that she feels "it's important that we try to establish norms again" after Jan. 6.The bottom line: For many lawmakers, the question simply isn't a priority at the moment.Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), asked whether he plans to attend, told Axios: "Pssh, is that the burning issue of the day?"Axios' Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight contributed reporting for this story.

A growing band of younger House Democrats is challenging senior members for powerful congressional posts.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, was elevated to the highest-ranking leadership position for progressives in the House of Representatives following a unanimous vote from his peers on Thursday.

Progressives are urging Democrats to pursue a path forward that prioritizes America’s working-class population, the coalition that overwhelmingly rejected their party and supported President-elect Trump for a second term. Leftists believe moderates have failed to uplift economically marginalized people, deviating from their decades-old mandate and leaving that group open to Republicans’ message. Failing to keep [...]

Pro-Israel groups focused their spending on defeating two members of the Squad, and had a fairly strong showing in Democratic primary endorsements.

“It’s always been young people that have pushed our democracy forward,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) tells NTD’s Chris Bob. As a member of the progressive caucus, he supports Vice President Kamala Harris’s stance on hot topic issues like a ceasefire in Gaza and gun control.

Beneath Democrats' forceful show of unity around Kamala Harris in Chicago, a quiet struggle is playing out over her – and her party's – positions on thorny issues like immigration and Israel.Why it matters: Multiple progressive lawmakers acknowledged to Axios that they are uncomfortable with how Democrats have tacked to the center and previewed a schism that will likely come into full view after Nov. 5."I will be pursuing a progressive agenda with many members of the Progressive Caucus," Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) told Axios."So we're going to have those tensions play out." Driving the news: Harris has gone back on a multitude of progressive positions she took in 2020, including support for a fracking ban, single-payer health care, an assault weapons buy-back program and Supreme Court expansion.The Democratic platform codifies those shifts to the center and then some, removing references to universal health care from the 2020 platform while adding hawkish language on border security.Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who won a special election in February by supporting a border crackdown, is slated to speak to the convention Wednesday about his views on immigration, Axios first reported.What they're saying: García said he is "personally not comfortable" with the party's shift on border security, blasting it as a "defensive" and "reactive" response to GOP attacks.Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said she feels "the same way" as García, telling Axios: "The problem that we are in is that we cannot seem to separate [the] border from immigration reform.""Everyday Americans want to see a progressive agenda. ... This is the kind of work that you're going to hear us continue to talk about behind the scenes, publicly and everywhere we go," Ramirez said.Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) told Axios progressives "have some real work to do ... to stop letting Fox News drag our politics so far to the right" on issues like immigration, though he said he doesn't "put that on any presidential campaign."Between the lines: Progressive lawmakers' willingness to talk openly about their concerns is notable given how successfully Democrats have played up their unity this year.It is a signal that while the intra-party divides which dominated the 2016 and 2020 election cycles have been placed on the back-burner this year, they aren't going anywhere in the long term.Zoom in: Another tug-of-war playing out between progressives and the establishment is the convention's treatment of the pro-Palestinian "uncommitted" delegates who are pushing for speaking time and changes to the platform.Ramirez and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Axios they are among the lawmakers pushing the party to accommodate those demands to avoid alienating young and progressive voters."I think that there is a willingness, so hopefully we can continue to move that forward," Jayapal said.Yes, but: Some progressives insisted that these are fights that should be kept largely behind the scenes at least until after the election."Look, the platform is always a challenge ... but really what matters is the legislative agenda," said Jayapal.Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) told Axios: "Is the platform perfect? In my opinion, no. But I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for decency."The other side: Moderates, too, are closing their ears to the argument that the party needs to do more to appease progressives."Do they want to be right or do they want to win?" said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). "If we want to win, then we need to appeal to not just Democrats ... once we're in power, we can have those discussions."The bottom line: Nearly every lawmaker who spoke to Axios expressed hope that Harris would pursue a bold progressive agenda in office – though they acknowledged that will depend largely on whether Democrats hold full control of Congress.Still, they are not about to let her off the hook: "Many of us support a Green New Deal and a just transition to a society that is more sustainable, so those are all debates and fights we'll have after the election," said García.

At least 21 lawmakers are skipping the Israeli leader's speech in protest of his military campaign in Gaza. Kamala Harris and JD Vance won’t be there, either.

Who has endorsed Kamala Harris for president now that Joe Biden has dropped out? Here is a list of the current Democrats who support her, and a few notable figures who haven't yet.

A number of Democratic lawmakers, governors and past leaders were quick to rally behind Vice President Harris as she pursues the Democratic Party's presidential nomination following President Biden's withdrawal from the race. Shortly after dropping out of the presidential race, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor, stating it is "time to come together and beat" [...]