Democrats in the House in shock while they break down what the loss of Joe Crowley means for leadership

"Obviously, everyone there was a friend of Joe," he said. "It was basically disbelief, shock, a lot of emotional outpouring and sympathy for Joe."

While Democrats' sense of shock was ubiquitous at the Capitol on Wednesday morning, the conversation quickly moved from surprise to badysis – some eager to weigh on the ramifications, while others urged people to take a breath.

Nancy Pelosi, a minority leader in the House, was reluctant to reveal the main conclusions of the race, especially if democratic socialism was on the rise in her party.

"They made a choice in a district, do not let us carry away," she said at a press conference Wednesday morning at the Capitol. "It's about this neighborhood."

Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Virginia, said that he saw Crowley's loss as a demographics issue, not a broader indication of party leadership.

"I think demographics are all in politics," said Connolly. "The loss of Joe Crowley for a very talented young woman who better reflects the neighborhood from a demographic point of view was probably inevitable, if not last night, sooner or later."

Florida Representative Debbie Wbaderman Schultz emphasized the need for members to stay focused on their races and districts.

"The best advice we can take is, you know, your people can get you out as fast as they put you," she says. "You can never take them for granted, and I do not suggest Joe Crowley did anything. He, as I said, is and was an excellent member of Congress, but every one of us has to Make sure we take every race seriously as possible. "

Crowley was seen as the likely challenger for Democratic House leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat, running for top leadership at the next Congress if Democrats regained the majority.

The New York news on Tuesday night made this leadership race a free game for all, as there was no immediate challenger to fill Crowley's shoes.

The primary, in which the winner was 28, also amplified an existing debate over whether current leadership should be left to younger leaders. The first three Democrats in the House are all over 70 years old.

A senior Democratic official argued that there would be another younger member who would emerge as Hoyer's rival. Aids and members have mentioned several names – some of them include Rep. Ben Ray Luján, the current chairman of the Democrats House branch of the House; Rep. Cedric Richmond, President of the Congressional Black Caucus; be p. Cheri Bustos, Co-Chair, Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Many argue that there is a deep bench of potential leaders who have a wide range of ages.

"I could name names ranging from 92 to those who were elected in the last election cycle and for which I am confident," said Democratic Representative Adam Smith of Washington.

Representative Linda Sanchez, vice president of Democratic Caucus (Crowley is the president), has already called for "a new generation of leaders" and said Wednesday that there was "a real depth and breadth of talent "in the party and" there are any number of people who would be excellent in leadership. "

Asked by a reporter whether she would stand in Crowley's place, Sanchez said she would be a "good caucus chair", but she was not making any announcements.

"I have not yet established a relationship with Joe and I will continue to communicate with caucus members," she said. "Again, we're still dealing, again, anything can happen, so I'm not going to speculate."

Yarmuth – although reluctant to jump "on Joe's body because we all love Joe", as he has said – predicted that Sanchez would have "broad support" if she ran for the caucus presidency. He also said that he expected new members, such as Ocasio-Cortez if she won in November, to have a strong presence in determining future leaders.

"I would not take anything for granted if I was in leadership now," Yarmuth said.