{"id":2653858,"date":"2026-09-02T21:11:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T01:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-leave-punishment-for-two-centrist-defectors-on-the-table\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T21:13:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T01:13:37","slug":"democrats-leave-punishment-for-two-centrist-defectors-on-the-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-leave-punishment-for-two-centrist-defectors-on-the-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats leave punishment for two centrist defectors on the table"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-leave-punishment-for-two-centrist-defectors-on-the-table%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2653858&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>House Democratic leadership has not yet reprimanded two centrist members, Jared Golden and Marie gluesenkamp Perez, who supported Republican legislation, despite calls for a serious response. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated the issue was pending review by the Caucus Rules Commitee. The situation caused frustration within the party,especially as the members&#8217; votes helped push a GOP-led bill denouncing socialism,putting Democratic districts at risk. Some members expressed concern over the lack of immediate repercussions and debated potential changes to caucus rules to prevent future defections. Progressive voices like Pramila Jayapal voiced caution about altering caucus voting leverage, highlighting the complexities of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epstein-files-paralyze-house-forcing-johnson-to-start-recess-early\/\" title=\"Epstein files paralyze House, forcing Johnson to start recess early\">maintaining party unity ahead<\/a> of upcoming elections. the episode serves as a test of JeffriesS leadership and caucus discipline as Democrats aim to regain control in November.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over 24 hours after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-democrats\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"441\">House Democratic<\/a> leadership called for a \u201cserious response\u201d to the defections of two centrist members, no reprimand has been issued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hakeem-jeffries\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"790\">Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> (D-NY) told reporters on Wednesday that the matter is in the hands of the Democratic Committee on Caucus Rules to review and that he would not \u201cget out ahead of that process.\u201d Democrats were roiled by the votes of Reps. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jared-golden\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"7050\">Jared Golden<\/a> (D-ME) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) on Tuesday in support of Republicans\u2019 legislative agenda.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4711020\/democrat-punishment-centrist-defectors-socialism\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats leave punishment for two centrist defectors on the table<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4710845\/nicole-malliotakis-aide-struck-by-lightning\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Malliotakis aide uninjured after being struck by lightning in New York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4710804\/ralph-norman-lone-vote-chuck-edwards-censure\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ralph Norman explains why he was the lone vote against Chuck Edwards censure<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the votes, Democratic leadership said in a statement that the insubordination \u201cnecessitates a serious response\u201d and deemed it a breach of trust. But by Wednesday afternoon, Jeffries told reporters that he had yet to speak to the two members individually and that he had not received a readout of an earlier meeting of the committee on caucus rules from Chairman Mike Levin (D-CA).<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019re going to talk,\u201d Golden told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0\u201cI think on matters like this, we generally don\u2019t litigate it in the press, but I\u2019m always happy to talk to Hakeem. He\u2019s a good man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gluesenkamp Perez, coming out of a meeting in the minority leader\u2019s office that she described as a \u201croutine weekly meeting\u201d where she represented the Blue Dogs, for which she is a co-chairwoman, told reporters that she believes that in time, Democratic leadership will \u201csee that representing working people working on the waterfront, like in my district, it strengthens the caucus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The only public repercussion either member faced on Tuesday was Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) turning his back to Gluesenkamp Perez as she testified before the Rules Committee about proposed changes to congressional sexual harassment policy if Democrats retake the majority.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI really wasn\u2019t interested and paying attention,\u201d McGovern told reporters. \u201cTo be honest with you, I didn\u2019t even get the courtesy of even a heads up that she was going to vote [for] the rule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked if there would be a decision on what punishments would be doled out to the two centrists before the October recess, Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) was noncommittal, saying, \u201cWe\u2019ll see. It\u2019s up to the caucus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The apparent slow-moving of punishments for both members comes as rank-and-file members express frustration over the defections. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think supporting a Republican rule is the wrong thing to do in any circumstance,\u201d Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em> \u201cPeriod.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI respect that members have differences of opinions on maybe a particular piece of legislation, but doing anything, particularly in this moment, to enable the agenda that Republicans are unleashing on Americans that increased costs and have us in endless wars is enabling rampant corruption and is the wrong thing to do,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the frustration went beyond just simply siding with Republicans; their vote also put Democrats in competitive districts on the record for a tough vote. In voting for the procedural vote, the two voted in favor of bringing to the House floor a package of bills that included a GOP-led resolution denouncing socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think obviously to have two members ultimately pass the rule that then forces a vote on a bill that was intentionally designed to target swing district members is problematic,\u201d Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who sits in an ultracompetitive district following the Florida gerrymander, told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey should have told leadership. They know they should have told leadership,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But despite the frustrations, it does not appear Democrats are fully on board with a floated caucus rules change to prevent such defections in the future, with progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) telling reporters she has \u201csome real concerns about what exactly is being discussed\u201d and wanted clarification on what a change would entail. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDoes it mean that you know no one can vote against a rule?\u201d she posed. \u201cWhen I was chair of the Progressive Caucus, we used the leverage of the rule because sometimes we felt like party leadership was just pushing what conservative Democrats wanted, and if that was the case, then sometimes progressives, who we were the largest caucus in the party, were ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She continued, \u201cSo I am not for something that takes away a democratic way of really leveraging power of a majority of the caucus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defections have offered a test for Jeffries\u2019s leadership as Democrats look to retake the majority in November, with eyes watching to see what repercussions, if any, he pursues as a preview of what a possible speakership style from him would look like.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4710724\/jim-mcgovern-shuns-marie-gluesenkamp-perez-after-vote-condmening-socialism\/\"><strong>\u2018A LITTLE PISSED\u2019: JEFFRIES ALLY TURNS HIS BACK TO CENTRIST WHO VOTED TO CONDEMN DSA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe speaker has to be able to deliver the votes,\u201d Jayapal said. \u201cSo they got to be able to count those. They got to be able to organize. They got to be able to make deals. They got to be able to keep everyone feeling united as a caucus and minimize the number of people that move in a different direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She continued, \u201cIt\u2019s a tricky navigation because we\u2019re not kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No action yet on Dem centrists&#8217; defections after 24 hours<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4027,"featured_media":2653859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-collage-011ebxi0v-1788393369167-e1788395325881.jpg?1788379036&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[85047,3685,85048,35802,32504],"class_list":["post-2653858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-centrist-defectors","tag-democrats","tag-legislative-negotiations","tag-party-politics","tag-political-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-collage-011ebxi0v-1788393369167-e1788395325881.jpg?1788379036&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4027"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2653858"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2653862,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653858\/revisions\/2653862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2653858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2653858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2653858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}