Progressives are coming into the new Congress with an expanded caucus, new power, and new potential – despite the majority now being held by Republicans – according to Democratic strategists and at least one member of the House.

For one thing, one strategist told TYT, the White House now sees the party’s progressive wing as Pres. Joe Biden’s reliable partner in legislating.

And with reactionary Republicans winning concessions from GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), it’s Democratic progressives who are best positioned to reveal the GOP agenda as radical, said another strategist.

Although Democrats likely won’t see many, if any, legislative victories in the Republican-controlled House, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told TYT that “exciting new” progressive members have an opportunity to increase momentum for a wide range of broadly popular policies.

With young progressives of color coming into office, Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins tells TYT, junior lawmakers like Rep.-elect Maxwell Frost (D-FL) hold the key to the future of the Democratic Party.

“I think Maxwell Frost is kind of the blueprint for where you're going to see Democrats start to expand the base, and where I think progressives are really going to find their sweet spot,” says Hopkins, who compares Frost’s tenacity and outspokenness to that of a first-term Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Frost belongs to a new cohort of young progressives – including Reps. Summer Lee (D-PA), Greg Casar (D-TX), Delia Ramirez,(D-IL), and Becca Balint (D-VT) – which Hopkins says will not only energize the progressive wing of the Democratic Party but also communicate to young voters that they “can participate in our democracy without being the type of corporate sellout that people like [Sen.] Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) are.”

Hopkins asserts that instead of engaging in “legal bribery” to bolster their own standing while sacrificing the interests of voters, progressives have kept their word to their constituents without being “hostage takers” on legislation. He points to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as an example of progressives’ ability to move the needle on incremental change that benefits their constituents.

While the IRA, a much scaled-down version of Biden’s ambitious Build Back Better spending package, didn’t net progressives everything on their wishlists, Hogan said their support of the IRA demonstrates progressives’ willingness to come to the table, which has aided in some of their success over the last term. And may yield dividends.

“The White House has realized that if they want a good-faith negotiating partner, it's gonna be the progressives, not the moderates,” Hopkins says.

Khanna told TYT that the critical victories progressives have won – like the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act to enshrine marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples and changing the dialogue around issues like climate change and environmental justice – is something he expects to continue.

“In this Congress, with the help of young and exciting new members, I think you will see progressives continue to consolidate support and build momentum for key policies like Medicare for All, climate action, and affordable housing and childcare,” said Khanna. “Getting big things done requires a concerted effort and progressives need to be focusing and messaging consistently on these popular policies for the next two years.”

That messaging will be key in combating the priorities of House Republicans, which Democratic strategist Tim Hogan says will include everything from investigating Hunter Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci to daily messaging bills that are likely to be anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-reproductive rights. He says it will be critical to have progressives hold the line and show how out of touch and extreme those GOP members are.

“[I]n order to push back against someone who on the floor can be [...] loud and wild like a [Rep.] Jim Jordan [R-OH] or a [Rep.] Matt Gaetz [R-FL], you need someone who can give that same level of energy and push back,” Hogan said. “That's something that is undervalued about electing new progressive members of Congress, but they're able to do it.”

While there may not be any great expectation for a lot of substantive legislation to pass this term, Hogan says that we’re likely to see a debt ceiling showdown as GOP members seek to use the threat of default as leverage to push spending cuts. He says the progressive wing will be “very important” as House Democrats figure out how to avoid a shutdown.

And Hopkins says that the dynamics of this new Congress, coupled with the influential power that progressives hold, could make for an unlikely coalition.

“[T]here are some moderate Republicans who are in swing districts [..,] who want to keep their seats and know that the only way to do so is to negotiate with Democrats,” Hopkins says. “With the margin so small, you take progressives and pair them with establishment Democrats and a couple Republicans that they can pick off - that's a powerful Coalition for Biden.”

And with newer, younger Democratic leadership, including party leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), both Hopkins and Hogan see the potential for the party to pose a united front this session.

Despite the often antagonistic relationship between Jeffries and progressives, Hopkins says that in gearing up for the 2024 election cycle, Jeffries realizes the importance of having representatives at the forefront who reflect Democrats’ broader voting base -- largely young, college-aged voters; Black voters; and suburban women.

Hogan says that Jeffries’ early outreach to the Congressional Progressive Caucus likely earned him some good will within the left wing of the Democratic party. He says, “I think it's important that there was not a rallying of a progressive infrastructure on the outside that would have opposed [Jeffries]. And I think that's pretty indicative of, you know, that as of right now even if people are cautious, that they see potential allyship there.”

TYT Washington Correspondent Candice Cole was previously a correspondent and senior White House producer for the Black News Channel and has worked at a number of local news outlets. You can find her on Twitter @CandiceColeNews.