How One Freshman Photo Defines the New Congress - Newsweek

Five newly elected lawmakers posed for photograph on the steps of the U.S. Capitol this week. Together, they offer a snapshot of the political forces shaping America after the 2026 midterms.

From a 29-year-old democratic socialist to a 78-year-old Trump-aligned conservative, the five represent some of the generational, ideological and geographic differences that could shape the House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes in January.

The image, taken on November 12 during freshman orientation, shows Melat Kiros, the first Black woman elected to Congress from Colorado; former Maine Governor Paul LePage; Denise Powell, who flipped Nebraska's competitive 2nd Congressional District; Jeremy Moss, the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Michigan; and Robert White, who will succeed Eleanor Holmes Norton as Washington, D.C.'s non-voting delegate.

Newsweek contacted representatives for Kiros, LePage, Powell, Moss and White for comment by email.

They were among more than 100 incoming House members attending orientation and they reflect some of the competing priorities facing the next Congress: a Democratic Party balancing its progressive ambitions with the demands of winning competitive districts, Republicans confronting their future after electoral defeat, and continuing battles over political representation and federal power.

The 29-year-old first-time candidate delivered an upset in July when she beat Democratic Colorado Representative Diana DeGette in the primary.

Kiros is among a new generation of democratic socialists challenging established figures within the Democratic Party, following the political rise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Kiros has promised to fight what she describes as the oligarchy, oppose President Donald Trump, abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and pass Medicare for All. She made her criticism of U.S. support for Israel central to her primary campaign.

While that message clearly resonated with voters in her district, it could lead to clashes with some of her more moderate new colleagues in the Democratic Party.

Her arrival in Washington raises a question for Democrats following their midterm victories: how far can the party move to the left while maintaining the broader coalition that brought it back to power?

At 78, LePage represents a very different generation and political ideology from Kiros.

He won in Maine’s 2nd District, which Trump carried by almost 10 points in the 2024 presidential race and which is by far the more Republican-leaning of the state's two districts.

A businessman before entering politics, LePage served two terms as Maine's governor from 2011 to 2019. He lost his bid to return to office in 2022 to Democratic Governor Janet Mills.

LePage has a history of provocative remarks. In 2016, he described himself as "Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular." During his 2010 gubernatorial campaign, he said he would tell then-President Barack Obama to "go to hell." In 2011, amid a dispute over his attendance at Martin Luther King Jr. events, he told the NAACP to "kiss my butt."

His election puts a Trump-aligned and oft-combative conservative into a political region now dominated by Democrats, and will represent the GOP as it seeks to redefine itself following its midterm defeat and ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

LePage's victory illustrates the political divide within Maine, a state that has favored Democrats in presidential elections but where rural and working-class voters have remained receptive to Trump.

Moderate Democrat Jared Golden managed to bridge that divide, repeatedly winning reelection in a district that backed the Republican president. His departure, and the Democrats' failure to retain the seat, raise questions about whether the party can compete in such territory without candidates who share Golden's more centrist approach.

While Kiros and LePage represent different ends of the political spectrum, Powell's victory illustrates the importance of winning voters in competitive territory.

Powell defeated Republican Brinker Harding to win Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, becoming the first woman elected to represent the district and the first Latina elected to Congress from the state.

The Omaha-based district is one of the country's most competitive House seats and typically draws national attention from both parties.

Nebraska has voted Republican in every statewide presidential election since 1968, including Trump's three campaigns. But the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District has always been a bit bluer, backing Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 while electing a Republican to the House.

Powell, who co-founded a group that coached local women on how to run for office, demonstrated how Democrats can make gains in politically mixed territory.

Her victory also highlights a challenge for the party as it prepares to govern.

While progressive candidates such as Kiros have found success challenging the Democratic establishment from the left, Powell's win illustrates the importance of appealing to voters in districts where neither party can take victory for granted.

Her success may provide Democrats with a case study in how to compete in areas where suburban, urban and rural interests intersect, particularly as the party looks toward the 2028 elections.

Moss, who won Michigan's 11th Congressional District, represents another strand of Democratic politics as the party considers its direction following the midterms.

The Democrat will succeed Representative Haley Stevens in January, becoming the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Michigan.

Moss has served in the Michigan State Legislature since 2015 and ran his congressional campaign on tackling the cost of living, while putting his support behind a "robust public option" to achieve universal healthcare coverage.

During his campaign, Moss sought to shift attention from culture-war disputes to economic concerns, while defending transgender rights. In an October interview with The Advocate, he argued that transgender athletes were not responsible for rising living costs or barriers to affordable healthcare.

His win comes as the Great Lakes State’s Senate race was bitter and closely watched, after a high-profile rift in Michigan Democratic politics, when Stevens—who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed—endorsed Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers just days before the general election.

As the Democrats define their agenda moving ahead, Moss has been clear that the party needs to be “stronger, bolder, tougher,” per an October interview with The Advocate. One challenge for Democrats moving forward will be whether internal disputes over strategy and identity politics distract from advancing their legislative agenda.

Of the five lawmakers pictured, White is the only one who will not have a vote on final legislation in the House.

The successor to Norton will represent the nation's capital in Congress without the same voting powers as his four fellow freshmen.

His election comes amid continuing disputes over the district's autonomy and the federal government's involvement in city affairs under the Trump administration.

White campaigned on defending the district against federal interference, with disputes ranging from the embattled Lincoln Reflecting Pool renovation to the contested renovation of the East Potomac Golf Links.

“Together, we will fight Trump and his allies in Congress as they attempt to use D.C. as a testing ground for their radical right-wing agenda,” White says on his campaign website.

He has pledged to build on Norton's decades-long campaign for Washington, D.C., statehood and full voting representation, while defending the district against federal interference. With Democrats set to control both chambers of Congress, he hopes to persuade lawmakers to make statehood a legislative priority.

His position highlights another political divide that will continue into the new Congress: the question of who gets a full voice in the federal government and how much control the White House should exercise over the nation's capital.

For a moment on the Capitol steps, the five incoming lawmakers stood together for a photograph. When Congress convenes in January, they will bring different political priorities, constituencies and visions for the country's future.

Four of the five lawmakers pictured are Democrats, but their different political priorities illustrate the challenges facing a party preparing to govern. From democratic socialism to swing-district pragmatism and the fight for D.C. statehood, their competing ambitions offer a glimpse of the debates that could define the next Congress.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Rhian Morgan.