Dems Shocked That Reps They Abandoned for Signs of Sanity Abandon Them, Vote With GOP on Budget

If you don’t know the names of Reps. Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the Democratic establishment is probably happy, inasmuch as they’re doing their job.

Both of the representatives — Golden of Maine and Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington — are Democrats. However, they’ve been seen as not sufficiently progressive to meet the moment and too willing to work across the aisle. Rep. Golden decided not to seek re-election in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District over “incivility and plain nastiness” after his own party turned against him, and Gluesenkamp Perez barely survived a primary challenge from a progressive in her own seat.

Both representatives, it’s worth noting, represent districts that went for Donald Trump in 2024 and lean Republican, which means the Democrats are basically shooting themselves in the foot by alienating them constantly. In a year where the left is supposed to be adding seats, those two are seats they could very well lose to the GOP — in part because of their own purity tests.

Now, the Democratic establishment is both surprised and piqued that the two representatives “took the unusual step Tuesday of rescuing GOP leaders’ own agenda in the face of a conservative rebellion,” as CNN put it.

According to CNN, their two votes allowed a procedural vote backed by Republican leadership to advance several pieces of legislation to the floor.

While the Republicans control the House, several conservative GOP members objected to the motion as a protest vote regarding how the Republican leadership handled a continuing resolution that passed just before the procedural vote that addressed spending before the midterms, according to Fox News.

Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Chip Roy of Texas, and Pete Sessions of Texas voted against moving the legislation to the floor based on concessions like curbing the White House’s ability to control federal grant money and delaying a ban on hemp product sales that allows intoxicating products onto the market.

In addition, the conservative representatives were irked that the House didn’t get to insert its own measures into the Senate-passed spending bill, such as stopping federal spending on mass surveillance technology.

Regardless of whether or not you think this was a good protest, the measures which were making their way onto the floor represented good legislation.

Reps. Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez voted to move the measures, which were bundled together, in part because they both represent coastal districts and it includes legislation that protects lobstermen from environmentalist meddling.

Sunday night my son pulled his first fish out of the Columbia river. What the DC bubble doesn’t get is that working waterfronts require working people. Nature is not a terrarium–and you don’t get effective environmentalism without the input of people who make their livelihoods… pic.twitter.com/pc3pyJ5DFn

— Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (@RepMGP) September 1, 2026

It also included a resolution condemning socialism and calling for the passage of election integrity legislation, something opposed by virtually all Democrats.

Cue the outrage that two sane Democrats whom leadership has spent plenty of time alienating decided to buck the trend and get the procedural vote over the line, 209-208. The resolution then passed 220-192.

From CNN:

Asked whether he’s disappointed in those members, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters: “The two Democrats who voted for the rule did not give any member of House Democratic leadership a heads-up, and as a result, blindsided the entire caucus and created a significant breach of trust.”

Jeffries said it’s “under discussion” whether the two lawmakers will face repercussions.

Later Tuesday, Jeffries said, in a joint statement with Reps. Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, “It is an action that necessitates a serious response, and we have asked the Committee on Caucus Rules to take this up in short order.”

Repercussions? Like the ones you’ve already dealt them?

Golden isn’t running because he was getting primaried by the left in a district the left will almost certainly lose. Gluesenkamp Perez, while she won her primary challenge, also faced repercussions last year for pointing out that maybe outgoing Democratic Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García shouldn’t have rigged the process so that his replacement would be his chief of staff.

García announced his retirement just hours before the filing deadline for the primary, leaving Patty García — no relation, but his chief of staff — as the only other Democrat in a position to file in a deep-blue Illinois district.

Gluesenkamp Perez introduced a resolution to condemn Rep. García for obvious interference with the electoral process. You know who Democrats ended up condemning? Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, because of course.

Going after a strong progressive Latino leader the same day that you vote for a slush fund for Republicans involved in January 6 does not scream democratic values.@RepChuyGarcia has been an unwavering fighter for our democracy and our communities. It is disappointing that… https://t.co/keqHuX42zx

— Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (@repdeliaramirez) November 13, 2025

Eventually, García did receive an official rebuke in November of 2025 — although only 23 Democrats voted to condemn him for “undermining the process of a free and fair election,” according to the language of her resolution. House Democratic leadership still condemned Gluesenkamp Perez and the other 22 Democrats.

“Congressman Chuy García has been a progressive champion and voice for the voiceless in his community for decades,” House Democratic leadership said in a joint statement at the time. “We unequivocally oppose this misguided resolution.”

And after all this, they’re shocked — shocked! — that they’ve taken “an action that necessitates a serious response,” to use their language. Whatever. When you abandon the sane, the sane abandon you.

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