Democrats from the five boroughs are poised to take the reins of three prominent caucuses on Capitol Hill representing Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans — just as their party is wrestling with the results of last month’s election. 

“We’re really excited, this wasn’t planned,” said Queens Rep. Grace Meng, who was elected to lead the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents Manhattan and the Bronx, will spearhead the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Rep. Yvette Clarke of Brooklyn will lead the Congressional Black Caucus. 

Their rise to these roles is in part a signal of the growing seniority and tenure of New York’s lawmakers in Washington, not to mention the diversity of the city they represent.

Their elevation comes as New Yorkers already hold the top Democratic posts in both the U.S. House and the Senate. 

“Under the leadership of our [House Democratic] Leader Hakeem Jeffries and [Senate] Minority Leader [Chuck] Schumer, we will be able to make sure that we are working with our federal partners — whether it’s Congress, whether it’s the White House — to make sure New York has the resources it needs to protect itself,” Meng said. 

Reflections on the 2024 election

The trio of Democrats also will take on their new roles just as their party is coming to grips with the results of the 2024 presidential election, where polling showed Americans in those three demographic groups were — to varying degrees — more open to voting for Donald Trump and Republicans than four years ago. 

Asked if he thinks Democrats can get more Latinos back into the party’s fold going forward, Espaillat responded, “No question about it, our core values are with the Democratic Party.”

Reflecting on last month’s election, Espaillat said Hispanic voters felt the impact of higher costs and argued his party needs to improve messaging on economic issues. 

But, he also noted, Trump’s planned expulsions of migrants will likely pack a punch. “When they deport one of your cousins, when they deport your uncle, things will dramatically change,” he said.

Clarke told Spectrum News that Black communities have been intentionally inundated with misinformation and the Black Caucus needs to push back. 

“We need to make sure our folks are getting information from trusted sources, and that we also counter-program in terms of what is being put out there for consumption,” she said. 

Meng, who will lead a coalition she says has endured a difficult few years with the spike in Asian hate amid the COVID pandemic, says her party should do more to engage Asian voters where they are. 

She pointed to Long Island Democrats Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, who flipped Republican-held congressional seats in the past year, as success stories. 

“They didn’t just simply put out a piece of campaign literature in native languages, but they met people where they are. They had dim sum, they visited mosques, they visited temples,” she said.