Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his closest allies in Washington could hold sweeping new power if Democrats retake the Senate in November, shifting the party closer to his trademark brand of economic populism.
Sanders, the Vermont socialist and two-time presidential candidate, is likely to chair the Senate panel responsible for overseeing labor, education, and healthcare next year if Democrats reclaim the chamber.
The financial sector could also be subject to more scrutiny if Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who rose to prominence as a fierce critic of Wall Street, takes over the Banking Committee.
Each has assumed a new place of influence within the Democratic Party over the last two years, filling a power vacuum created by President Joe Biden’s exit from the political stage. Alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), they are among the most popular surrogates for House and Senate candidates this cycle.
With this election, Sanders and Warren have an opportunity to steer Democrats further left and turn that political influence into a legislative agenda that is more adversarial toward big business and the private sector.
A chairmanship for Warren and Sanders would, in some ways, mark a degree of continuity for Democrats. Both already serve as the ranking members of their respective committees, and Warren, in particular, has found success pursuing progressive policy priorities despite Republicans running Washington.
Just three months ago, a landmark housing bill that Warren authored became law with bipartisan support.
Democratic control of the Senate would allow them to promote an even more expansive agenda with all the tools that come with a committee gavel, chief among them the ability to mark up legislation and subpoena witnesses.
They are joined by other Democrats who have spent years trying to push the party to abandon its more cautious approach to governing, and could now get their chance. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is expected to be less deferential to Republicans if he takes over the Judiciary Committee from retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Whitehouse, who once challenged Durbin for the position, is known for his more combative tone and progressive bent.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a progressive voice with presidential aspirations, is also expected to have greater influence on the Appropriations Committee, where he currently oversees spending by the Department of Homeland Security. The agency has become controversial over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that precipitated a government shutdown earlier this year.
The power that comes with a committee gavel depends on a blue wave materializing next Tuesday, when Democrats need to pick up at least four seats to retake the chamber from Republicans. Flipping the House, controlled by an even narrower GOP margin, is considered a more realistic outcome.
It also assumes long-shot scenarios don’t come to pass, such as former Sen. Sherrod Brown attempting to reclaim the Banking gavel if he wins his Senate race in Ohio. Brown previously served as chairman, but caucus rules state that seniority resets if a senator leaves and then is reelected.
Sanders made expansive use of his oversight powers when he first led the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions at the tail end of Biden’s presidency, using the threat of subpoena to compel testimony from the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies over high prescription drug costs and, in another case, Starbucks over allegations of “union-busting.”
This time, Sanders is expected to focus more heavily on the dangers posed by artificial intelligence and will face pressure to scrutinize Trump Cabinet secretaries such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Warren, for her part, has slightly more of a pragmatic streak and is expected to search for areas of common ground, including a crackdown on advanced chip exports, which falls under the purview of the Banking Committee.
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Still, Warren’s rocky relationship with Trump will limit what she can get done for the remainder of his presidency. They’ve spoken about capping credit card interest rates, but that proposal, opposed by most Republicans, hasn’t gone anywhere this Congress.
Earlier this week, Trump promised to make extensive use of his veto power if Democrats retake the majority, although he also expressed a desire to cut deals.