Rep. Jerry Nadler won a decisive victory over Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) in a caucus-wide election Wednesday morning. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Nadler wins top Democratic post on Judiciary Committee

House Democrats have tapped New York Rep. Jerry Nadler as their next leader on the Judiciary Committee, the panel that would potentially initiate impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump if Democrats win back the House.

Nadler won a decisive victory over Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) in a caucus-wide election Wednesday morning. Lofgren, a former immigration lawyer, is the second-most senior member on the panel behind Nadler.


“This is a pivotal time, with our country possibly on the verge of a constitutional crisis,” Nadler said in a speech before the vote, according to a Democratic source in the room. “We cannot afford to make this choice based on anything but who is the best person to sit in that chair.”

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The caucus voted 118-72 in Nadler’s favor Wednesday. Nadler, who has served on the panel since first coming to Congress a quarter-century ago, was thought to have a slight edge over Lofgren going into this week.

His advantage was further underscored when Democrats on the steering committee voted 41-18 to back Nadler on Tuesday afternoon. There were rumors Lofgren might drop out of the race after that vote, but she proceeded with the secret ballot election Wednesday.

Nadler and Lofgren have been quietly campaigning for the position for months but didn’t expect the election to occur until after the November 2018 midterms. Everything was pushed forward when Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the panel, resigned earlier this month amid sexual harassment allegations.

Reps. Ted Deutch of Florida and Hakeem Jeffries of New York were among the members who officially nominated Nadler on Wednesday. A handful of Democrats, eager to challenge the caucus’ seniority system, tried to recruit both Deutch and Jeffries to run for the position earlier in the process, but the two lawmakers declined.

Deutch, Jeffries and several other Democrats spoke favorably of Nadler, citing his knowledge of constitutional law and leadership on criminal justice reform.

“They gave me a script. I don’t need a script, because I know the man. We are in a fight for the soul of our democracy,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a speech before the vote. “I can think of no one better to lead the House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee than Jerry Nadler.”

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), a close ally of Lofgren, was among the Democrats who backed her nomination, calling her a lawmaker of “the highest caliber” and touting her decades of work on immigration issues.

“I haven’t had to travel alone ... Zoe Lofgren was standing there,” Gutiérrez said. “Just as important as the work you do on your committee is the work you do for your country.”

Lofgren, too, touted her immigration bona fides when making her pitch to the caucus. Lofgren also noted that she would be the first woman to occupy a leadership post on the committee in its 200-plus year history.

“My presence would make a major difference in achieving immigration reform,” she said. “I think it’s very important that Democrats...stand up for people who have been treated unfairly.”

Nadler had the advantage going into the election, partly because he has served on the committee for two years longer than Lofgren. While both members are widely liked within the caucus, Democrats, particularly from minority groups, tend to favor seniority.

Neither Nadler nor Lofgren committed to pursuing impeachment in the runup to the election. But the two did talk openly about what it would take for them to support the process if Democrats win back the House next year.

For Democrats to pursue impeachment, there would have to be some support both from Republicans — particularly in the Senate — and Trump voters, according to Nadler.

“There’s not much point in impeaching a president and having him acquitted in the Senate as happened with [Bill] Clinton," Nadler said in an interview in his office late last week.

Aside from impeachment, the committee deals with a raft of controversial issues and is home to some on the House’s most partisan members. Other issues within the panel’s jurisdiction include immigration, abortion, guns and criminal justice.

