The Real Power in the New Congress Isn’t Where Matt Gaetz Thinks It Is

Josh Gottheimer believes his caucus of centrists is going to play a key role getting important bills passed in a narrowly divided House.

On a bitterly cold night 14 months ago, an obstreperous Democratic congressman from New Jersey was sitting in the Capitol hideaway of House Democrats’ heir apparent, talking about trying to do the impossible.

It was exactly one year before November’s midterms when Josh Gottheimer sat down with Hakeem Jeffries, and Democrats were confronting a bleak future. A Republican had just won the governor’s race in blue Virginia, and President Joe...