WASHINGTON — Top House Democratic leaders who assumed their roles two years ago will continue in their positions in the new Congress after most ran unopposed in leadership elections held Tuesday.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Minority Whip Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California, who took over from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants at the beginning of the 118th Congress, faced no opposition as they look to steer the caucus through complete Republican control of Washington next year.

Democrats are plotting out their next steps after losing the White House and control of the Senate in this month’s elections. But while the party fell short of its goal to flip the House, several of their most vulnerable members held on, ensuring that Republicans will again control the chamber with a narrow majority. Democrats are on track to hold at least 212 seats at the beginning of the 119th Congress, compared with at least 218 for the Republicans. Five seats are yet to be called by The Associated Press.

“We are prepared to work hard to find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues and the incoming administration on any issue whenever and wherever possible, but at the same period of time, we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary,” Jeffries said at a news conference on Capitol Hill.

The New York Democrat pushed back on the Republican argument that the party has a “mandate” after the November elections.

“The question about this notion of some mandate to make massive, far-right, extreme policy changes, it doesn’t exist,” he said.

In other key House Democratic leadership elections, Caucus Vice Chairman Ted Lieu of California and Assistant Democratic leader Joe Neguse of Colorado also ran unopposed.

Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell was reelected chair of the caucus’s messaging arm, the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, defeating Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett in what was the highest-level contested leadership race Tuesday. The vote was 152-59, according to a Dingell aide. Reps. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Lori Trahan of Massachusetts and Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida were elected to serve as co-chairs alongside Dingell. Frost made history as the first Generation Z member of congressional leadership, two years after becoming the first Gen Z member elected to Congress.

Dingell first won election to Congress in 2014, succeeding her husband, longtime Michigan Rep. John Dingell, who died in 2019. She assumed the role as DPCC chair earlier this year after Neguse became assistant Democratic leader.

“In the aftermath of this month’s elections, this caucus has got to be in listening mode,” Dingell said at the news conference Tuesday, adding that party leaders have begun a series of listening sessions with members. “We, as a team, are going to make sure that members are going to meet their constituents where they are.”

Crockett, who has been freshman class representative to leadership in the current Congress, has gained national prominence since winning her Dallas-area seat in 2022. Multiple clips of her remarks during congressional hearings, including her tangling with Republican colleagues, have gone viral, and she also addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer.

Crockett said on social media Sunday that she decided to run for DPCC chair because she saw “opportunity to modernize & move our caucus in such a way that we are able to reach people & authentically convey why they can & should trust us.”

California Rep. Robert Garcia, the president of the freshman class of the 118th Congress, was elected without opposition as caucus leadership representative, a role for members who have served fewer than five terms. He will succeed fellow California Rep. Sara Jacobs.

Under House Democratic rules, Jeffries will appoint the next chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the caucus’s campaign arm.

Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, the current DCCC chair, declined to tell reporters Tuesday whether she was interested in another term.

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