House Democrats spent Tuesday night in a dramatic internal fight after two of their own members saved Speaker Mike Johnson from a defeat. Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington crossed party lines. They voted for a procedural rule that cleared the way for a Republican resolution.
As RedState‘s Ben Smith reported, this move offset five GOP hardliners who tried to block the vote. The rule passed by a razor-thin margin of 210-208. A package containing a vote to denounce socialism “in all its forms” was unlocked by this small victory. The House later adopted that resolution 220-192.
That final number is the story. 192 Democrats voted against a resolution that says socialism is bad. Voting for the majority’s rule is something minority-party members almost never do. Absolute disarray now afflicts their party following the yes votes from Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez.
Party leaders are now pointing fingers at each other. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters he got no heads-up about the defections. He directed questions to Whip Katherine Clark instead. Jeffries called the move “a significant breach of trust” that “necessitates a serious response.”
🚨BREAKING:
JEFFRIES CRACKING DOWN ON GOLDEN AND MGP:
“The decision by two of our colleagues to blindside the entire House Democratic Caucus and join with the Republican majority to pass a procedural rule on the brink of failing represents a significant breach of trust. It…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 2, 2026
Leadership has already referred Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez to the Committee on Caucus Rules. Axios reports that members are floating the idea of stripping their committee assignments. Jeffries made the threat clear in a statement to the press.
“The decision by two of our colleagues to blindside the entire House Democratic Caucus and join with the Republican majority to pass a procedural rule on the brink of failing represents a significant breach of trust,” Jeffries said, according to reports.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi also piled on. She contrasted the current mess with her own time in charge. She said a member voting for the other side on a rule vote is something she never considered possible.
“Voting for the rule is something that I, as Speaker, we never — we didn’t even consider that anybody would do that,” she said. “We never had that problem. So I’m disappointed that they did that.”
The resolution itself goes further than just a statement. It supports the SAVE America Act by asserting that American elections should be restricted to American citizens only. By name, the Democratic Socialists of America are condemned in the text.
For those keeping score at home, these two moderates (including Jared Golden, who is retiring) just threw the whole caucus under the bus, Jeffries then threw the whip under the bus, and Pelosi threw Jeffries under the bus. pic.twitter.com/nUnP5Nmwhb
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) September 1, 2026
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise made the connection explicit during the debate. “Not only do we denounce socialism, but also the idea of people that aren’t American citizens voting in our elections, because that’s part of their platform,” Scalise said.
Eight Democrats voted yes on the resolution, breaking with most of their caucus. They are Golden, Gluesenkamp Perez, Don Davis, Vicente Gonzalez, Henry Cuellar, Kathy Castor, Gabe Vasquez, and Darren Soto. The only Independent, Kevin Kiley, also voted yes.
Jeffries, Clark, and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar all voted no. Aguilar said Democrats objected to Republicans tying the vote to the SAVE America Act. “We’re capitalists. We believe in a capitalist system and rules and laws,” Aguilar said.
