Darializa Avila Chevalier and Melat Kiros are out to prove leftists can actually get results.
The two democratic socialists sat down with Dasha Burns for The Conversation this week about their all-but-guaranteed House elections and how a new cohort of insurgent progressives can hold their party’s leaders — and the president — accountable.
They also reveal they have been taking lessons from the original Squad about how to flex their power, build relationships and make party promises materialize.
“We’re here to prove that the left can actually deliver,” Avila Chevalier said. “We are very serious about that and very serious about making sure that we’re thinking through our tactics thoughtfully.”
First up: the question of who to elect as leader of the Democratic caucus.
Neither Avila Chevalier or Kiros would commit to backing Hakeem Jeffries as speaker. Both said the next leader’s agenda is far more important to them than who they are.
“I want to just make sure that whoever the next speaker is, is someone who’s going to prioritize things like Medicare for All, things like universal child care, things like withdrawing aid from Israel and withdrawing from this war in Iran,” Kiros said.
Avila Chevalier said she is in ongoing conversations with Jeffries and feels “we should be able to show that a Democratic majority is one that’s actually fighting for working people across this country.”
A spokesperson for Jeffries when reached for comment said he’s focused on “taking back the House so we can end this national nightmare.”
“Leader Jeffries is busy barnstorming the nation, stumping with our Red to Blue candidates and Frontline incumbents and connecting with everyday Americans who are drowning in the failed Republican economy,” Justin Chermol said.
Avila Chevalier and Kiros also told Dasha they’ve been getting “incredible advice” from the Squad members, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on how to navigate Hill dynamics. They’re hoping to build on the successes and failures of the progressive group that was elected during Trump’s first administration to achieve even more.
The Squad entered Congress in “very hostile environments,” Kiros said. “I’m really grateful for the work that they’ve done to make sure we have a much more softer landing, so that we can dispense with the distraction and the theater of all of this infighting and actually just get to work.”
One opportunity for theater they’re already wary of: impeaching President Donald Trump.
While both believe Trump has committed impeachable offenses, they questioned whether a third attempt would lead to actual accountability.
“That is something that Trump himself seems to want,” Avila Chevalier said. “We are going to have to think about what is actually going to hold their feet to the fire.”
That could instead mean withholding funding, issuing subpoenas and investigating corruption claims against Trump and officials, she said: “It seems to me in the past that we have not engaged in all those tools.”
What else we’re watching:
— THE SENATE GAVEL NO ONE WANTS: The Senate could soon be in the market for a new internal cop. Nobody wants the job. The top two lawmakers on Senate Ethics are poised to take over other panels next year: Sen. James Lankford, the current chair, is in line to potentially lead Homeland Security, while the current top Democrat, Sen. Chris Coons, would chair Foreign Relations — with either outcome depending on the midterms’ results. Asked if he’d want to stay on as Ethics chair, Lankford laughed. “No one asks to be on the Ethics Committee,” he said.
— POLL: THE GOP'S TAX-CUT ELECTION THAT WASN'T: Republicans’ hopes that tax cuts in their sweeping megabill could save the midterms are falling flat. A POLITICO Poll shows the party’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or even its friendlier-sounding rebrand — the “Working Families Tax Cuts” — is not resonating with voters. In fact, fewer than 1 in 10 Americans name the tax cuts as among the biggest successes of Trump’s second term. And only 9% see taxes as the most important issue right now, as the costs of living and the ongoing war in Iran overshadow Republicans’ top legislative accomplishment.
Chris Marquette, Jordain Carney, Bernie Becker and Riley Rogerson contributed to this report.
