Several Democrat candidates are reportedly balking at supporting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-NY) leadership as the midterm elections approach.
Neither Jeffries, who stood on solid ground within the Democrat Party a few years ago, nor his allies appeared worried about the issue, Axios reported Monday.
“But this crop of freshmen may provide the first chink in that heretofore impenetrable armor, with a bloc of genuinely viable candidates making clear that voting for Jeffries as speaker is not a given if the Democrats take the House,” the article said, adding it previously reported that over 80 Democrat House candidates were either noncommittal or blatantly opposed to giving him their support.
Months later, Jeffries’ situation seems to be in deeper trouble, according to Axios:
“Most Democrats are agreed that he’s been failing to meet the moment,” said Adam Hamawy, a candidate in New Jersey’s 12th district, saying he is “looking for someone that’s gonna stand up to the administration.”
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Depending on whether the Democrats win the House and by how many seats, these progressives’ fates in their primaries could likely determine whether Jeffries waltzes to the speakership or faces a repeat of Kevin McCarthy’s 15-ballot slog in 2023.
Jeffries joined ABC late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a recent Hollywood fundraiser for Democrats which reportedly raked in over $2 million as Democrats work to reclaim the U.S. House in the November midterms, according to Breitbart News.
In February, Late-night host Stephen Colbert attacked Jeffries for urging “his members in the chamber to not make a scene” during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address, per Breitbart News.
He called it “silent defiance,” then added, “Which I believe is a bold rebrand of doing jack squat. As Martin Luther King once said: ‘Shhh.’”
Democrat lawmakers did challenge Trump during his address after their leaders hoped to avoid their “embarrassing” behavior during a speech he gave in 2025.
Meanwhile, Breitbart News reported in October the Democrat Party has been facing internal divisions when it comes to ideology, strategy, and leadership.
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