Jamie Raskin elected top Democrat on Judiciary Committee

• Raskin, 62, launched his candidacy earlier this month by arguing that House Democrats need more vigorous committee leaders to take on Trump.
• Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the current 77-year-old Judiciary ranking member, withdrew a few days after Raskin launched his candidacy.

Driving the news: Raskin was elected unanimously during a closed-door House Democratic caucus meeting, Raskin confirmed to Axios on Wednesday.

• He joins several other new ranking members who were elected on Tuesday: Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) on Agriculture, Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) on Natural Resources and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) on Oversight.
• Craig and Huffman, like Raskin, pushed out or defeated septuagenarian ranking members who colleagues worried would not be able to put up a strong resistance to Trump.

What he's saying: "As Democrats, our historic assignment now is to stand in the breach to advance the legislation, amendments and arguments that will block a further descent into MAGA chaos," Raskin said in a statement.

• Raskin also voiced "profound admiration" for Nadler, calling him a "great lawyer, patriot and public servant."

Zoom in: Raskin had initially been leaning against a run to challenge Nadler in the weeks after the 2024 election, but was eventually swayed by the urging of dozens of colleagues.

• Among those who encouraged his run was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.