A petition urging Democrats to reject House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker of the House has hit and surpassed one million signatures.
Originating on Change.org, the petition “House Democrats: CHOOSE A NEW SPEAKER” has, as of Monday, hit 1,094,983 signatures. In the section that described the issue, the petition’s organizer, Nicole Whitted, wrote, “Hakeem Jeffries currently serves as House Democratic Leader and has previously been nominated by House Democrats for Speaker. If his name is put forward again, House members will have a choice to make. Hakeem Jeffries is simply not the right choice.”
“We believe the Speaker should represent the Democratic voters, not just the Democratic establishment,” the section added. “The Speaker has enormous influence over the direction of the House, including its legislative priorities and agenda.”
Whitters added, “Before casting their votes, representatives should closely examine Jeffries’s public record, policy positions, campaign donor record and leadership…and listen to constituents who do not want him elevated to Speaker.” It was added that “this is not a foregone conclusion.”
“There is still time for other Democratic members of the House to step forward and seek the nomination for Speaker, someone whose priorities more closely reflect the voters who hope to elect the Democratic majority,” Whitters said. “We are calling on every member of the incoming 120th Congress to vote against Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker in January 2027 and choose a different candidate.”
Those hoping to unseat Jeffries as the leader of the Democratic Party have until January 3 to submit their names, after which the elected speaker swears them in, and they are then voted on. Each prospective speaker needs 218 votes to win the election.
While final totals have yet to be officially established, Democrats emerged from last week’s elections with a 254-seat majority in the next Congress, reclaiming the majority of seats held by Republicans, who will have only 162 seats. Jeffries officially launched his bid to take over the position held by Mike Johnson last week with a letter to all party members.
Despite being the presumptive choice, many outside progressives have voiced their own concerns, citing Jeffries’ failure to embrace many of the positions – including ones on backing Medicare for All, taking on entrenched corporate power, and restricting military assistance to Israel over its genocide in Gaza – that have galvanized voters across the nation.
Axios reported on Friday that members of Congress have been “inundated” with calls urging them not to elect Jeffries. Axios reported that they have interviewed “nearly a half-dozen incoming House Democrats in deeply red seats Thursday who declined to state a firm position one way or another on voting for him.”
Former top aide to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Corbin Trent, wrote a column in Common Dreams on Friday, saying, “The Democratic leadership we have today is completely ill-suited for this moment.” He added, “They do not have the vision for what it’s going to take to rebuild the trust the American people have lost in their government, their institutions, and the Democratic Party itself.”
“Democrats have spoken loudly and clearly that they want new leadership,” Trent added. “Unfortunately, too many of the people in Washington aren’t listening.”
The large Democratic majority in the House, along with the lack of other challengers, would make it easier for Jeffries to win the nomination. However, the large public outcry denouncing his ascension to the leadership position might affect Jeffries and the voters who support him.
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Petition for Democrats to reject Hakeem Jeffries surpasses 1 million signatures