Donald Norcross Re-Appointed Assistant Minority Whip

At a time when the national Democratic Party is looking for steady leadership, a New Jersey Congressman has been re-appointed to a leadership position within the party.

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) has been re-appointed to to serve as an assistant whip, where he will be responsible for helping build unity among House Democrats and advising his colleagues on upcoming legislation, the congressman announced on Wednesday.

“I’m honored to work with Whip Steny Hoyer and House Democratic Leaders to support an agenda that creates jobs and protects workers,” Norcross said. “All my life I’ve fought for working men and women – and today that fight is more important than ever. Democrats from coast to coast and in the nation’s heartland must stand together to defend worker protections and ensure every American has the opportunity to earn a fair wage and get a fair shot at success.”

Norcross was first elected to Congress in 2014, and was re-elected in 2016. He was first appointed assistant whip in 2015.

When President-elect Donald Trump assumes office on Friday, and with his impending appointment to the Supreme Court, the Republicans will control all three branches of the federal government.

The Democratic Party finds itself in a similar position to the one the Republican Party was in from 2009-2011, when the Democrats controlled the White House and the Congress. The Democrats are widely seen as looking for stable leadership and for ways to re-connect with the voter, at the national level.

The whip’s role is to ensure members of the party vote along party lines. It is also generally regarded as the assistant leader to the party. The current minority whip is Steny Hoyer.

In addition to serving as an assistant whip, Norcross is the only New Jersey Democrat to serve on the House Armed Services Committee and the state’s only member on the Education and Workforce Committee.