WASHINGTON — Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, Kentucky’s only Democrat in Congress, returned to Capitol Hill this week after securing a second term, but he said there’s no sugarcoating what happened on election night, when his party lost the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House.

“I mean, we lost,” McGarvey said Thursday. “We lost at every level, but I think that a lot of the work we have in front of us is still really important … I think whenever you lose an election like this, it presents an opportunity because it gives you that time to reflect and say, ‘How are we going to do this better in the future?’”

McGarvey condemned some of President-Elect Donald Trump’s recent picks for leadership roles as “unserious,” including former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for attorney general.

The House Ethics Committee investigated Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct. A Justice Department investigation of Gaetz on sex trafficking allegations involving underaged girls ended without any charges.  

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and quit on Wednesday.

“He's now resigned from the House to prevent that ethics investigation from being released, and instead is going to be the attorney general of the United States, the top cop, the top prosecutor for the United States,” McGarvey said. “I think there's obvious problems with that.”

McGarvey did not point to what his party should have done differently, but said Democrats are having listening sessions.

He added they will continue working to protect workers and push for better infrastructure, affordable housing and jobs.