The prospective challengers, many of whom are competing in districts that Trump carried, were more focused on litigating the GOP incumbent’s record, including votes on health care legislation. We’ll see if Democratic candidates can contain themselves in months ahead, particularly if more revelations from Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation come to light. But for now, these Democrats look committed to not portraying each Republican as a carbon copy of Trump or trying to litigate the president’s sins.

Nancy Pelosi causes smart people to say strange things. Whenever we brought up the former speaker and whether she should continue to be the leader of the House Democrats, candidates were often flummoxed that we would even ask. These smart and successful challengers with advanced degrees, some of whom were involved in military operations in foreign theaters, suddenly lost the ability to think in advance and address a reasonable situation that could happen 12 months from now. Some said they had never even considered how they’d vote for party leadership, given the opportunity. Many of the Democrats were dismissive of the suggestion that the congresswoman from San Francisco would be a factor in their campaigns, which was either a rehearsed talking point or a precursor to a rude awakening when they later learn how Republicans message their campaigns.

The candidates are confident their resumes will inoculate them against partisan attacks. I’ll let you in on a secret: I ask some of the same questions in almost every candidate interview. In this case, I asked these Democrats, “What happens when Republicans call you a typical liberal Democrat? How will you respond?” I’m searching for any policy differences the candidate has with his or her party and for how the candidate will respond to coming attacks. Again, many of the candidates seemed surprised that Republicans would even attempt to paint them as rubber stamps for their party and pointed to their record in the military, public service or the private sector as evidence that such an assertion would be laughed off by voters. But those attacks are forthcoming, and voters will decide whether to look beyond candidates’ partisanship because of their profiles. I start as skeptical.

Apparently, centrism and independence are a frame of mind, not a policy position. If I took a drink of water every time I heard the word “independent” or “open-minded” from a candidate, I would have been a well-hydrated chap. They all named issues they care about, including health care, education and national security, but when asked for specific policies ripe for bipartisan consensus, many candidates struggled to come up with something tangible. Clearly, they know the swing voters they need to reach aren’t going to be enticed by dogmatic partisan rhetoric, and they hope that discussing their pragmatic personalities will speak for their ability to sometimes buck the party.

Republicans dismiss these candidates at their own peril. It’s often lost in the day-to-day coverage, but running for Congress is difficult, and maybe even more so for first-time candidates. History tells us some people who are considered top-tier challengers now will flame out, and others will lose in primaries. But after meeting with these candidates, it’s clear Trump’s election has drawn a new crop of Democratic candidates who bring substance to the House playing field. Republican incumbents need to start taking their races seriously, if they aren’t already.