House Democrats are confident they won't face the same leadership rebellions that have plagued Speaker Mike Johnson, betting that a future Speaker Hakeem Jeffries and unified party priorities will reduce aisle-crossing defections.

What happened

House Democrats say they would not change the discharge petition rule—which allows any 218 members to force a bill to the floor—even if they win the midterms and take the majority. Republicans have used this maneuver to pass a Ukraine aid bill and a worker contracts bill this month alone. Democrats also plan to push for a rules change to require 60% of the House to censure a lawmaker, up from the current simple majority, in order to reduce retaliatory censure clashes.

Why it matters

Democrats believe Speaker Jeffries would face fewer rebellions than Johnson because his caucus would have few incentives to break ranks, and the unique political dynamics that have driven Republicans and some Democrats to team up this Congress would likely vanish if the majority flips. A senior Democratic aide suggested there would be few issues that could unite all Republicans and a handful of Democrats under Democratic control.

What to watch

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., is planning to press the party to implement his censure threshold change at the beginning of the new Congress as part of the required new House rules package. Jeffries has previously expressed openness to the proposal. Beyer also wants to pursue term limits for Democratic committee leaders and ranked-choice voting for caucus leadership, though both ideas have failed to gain traction with Democrats in the past.