Rep. Jamie Raskin speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Monday formally launched his campaign to unseat House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).

Why it matters: House Democrats are engaged in an intense battle over whether to oust their oldest committee leaders in favor of relatively younger alternatives in an effort to better combat the Trump administration.

• Raskin, 61, had initially dismissed the idea, but changed his mind this weekend after an intense lobbying campaign by Democratic colleagues, Axios first reported.

Driving the news: Raskin, the current ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote in a “dear colleague” letter that he is running to unseat Nadler, 77, because “the stakes have gone way up since the election.”

• “This time the MAGA movement has not only a trifecta but a complicit Supreme Court waiting in the wings and a dominant media propaganda system parroting all the lies,” he continued.
• “House Democrats must stand in the breach to defend the principles and institutions of constitutional democracy. That is our historic assignment now. We dare not fail.”

Zoom out: Nadler is the third ranking member to face a contested fight to keep his committee leadership role in the 119th Congress.

• Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) launched a bid to unseat Natural Resources Committee ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who announced Monday he will voluntarily withdraw from the race.
• Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) are both challenging Agriculture Committee ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.).
• Like Nadler, Grijalva and Scott are in their 70s and have faced questions about their ability to put up a vigorous fight against the incoming GOP trifecta.

Between the lines: One factor fueling these runs is the fact that, unlike House Republicans, Democrats have no committee term limits.

• Grijalva has led his panel since 2014, Nadler since 2016 and Scott since 2020.

The other side: Nadler has said he is running for reelection and argued that he can continue leading the panel.

• “As a New Yorker, I have stood up to Donald Trump my entire career,” he wrote in a letter last month announcing his bid to retain his role.
• “While Republicans can be expected to abandon their commitment to oversight once the Trump Administration takes office, I will work to hold the Administration accountable.”

The intrigue: Raskin and Nadler, both members of a small group of progressive Jewish lawmakers, have a close relationship.

• “I take this step with respect and boundless admiration for my friend Jerry Nadler and his remarkable half-century of service in public office in New York and Congress,” Raskin wrote in his letter.
• He added that, if elected, he will “turn to Jerry first and throughout for his always wise counsel and political judgment.”

What’s next: House Democrats’ steering committee will first meet to vote on recommendations for committee roles.

• The whole House Democratic caucus will then vote on whether to approve those names.
• Both meetings are expected to take place this month.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information throughout.