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Back-to-back errors in the House raise questions about whether Democrats are ready to move into prime time as they’re poised to take the majority — and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is making a bid for the top role.
Democrats are projected to pick up 255 seats in the House, with 12 elections still to be called, and Jeffries is running for House speaker after last week’s blowout victories that saw the party win even in traditional Republican strongholds like Texas, Mississippi, Kansas and South Carolina.
But some wonder if the recent spats indicate that Jeffries and other leaders may not be ready to command a majority in the House.
“I may have to rethink my support for Hakeem Jeffries after the Hegseth impeachment vote,” Fred Trump III, a Democrat, author and nephew of President Donald Trump, posted on X. “Eleven Democrats are not running? All Republicans are voting against.”
“Pete Hegseth is laughing at you and is stronger today. Too bad,” he continued. “A slap in the face for service members and veterans on this important day.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks alongside Representatives Pete Aguilar and Katherine Clark during a press conference in Washington, DC, January 8, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
HEGSETH AGAINST GOP IMPEACHMENT PUSH AS QUESTIONS TURNS ON WHETHER ALLEGATIONS CONSTITUTE HIGH CRIMES
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives successfully blocked Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., from leading the charge to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth earlier this week.
This failure was partly explained by the absence of 11 House Democrats during a procedural vote Tuesday evening.
If only seven of them had been present, the vote to reject Massie’s impeachment resolution would have failed, triggering a debate and vote on impeaching the Cabinet secretary likely the next day.
“Everyone knew that turnout was essential tonight, but somehow Democratic leaders failed to deliver on their promises and handed the victory to Republicans,” Demand Progress Executive Director Sean Vitka said in a statement.
‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST CALLS DEMOCRATS MISSING HEGSETH’S IMPEACHMENT VOTE A ‘SELF-INFLICTED INJURY’
Progressive journalist David Schuster wrote on
An emotional Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said in a video posted on X that she and other Democrats were stuck in traffic when they missed the vote.
Various reports, however, indicated that they were attending a fundraiser less than two miles from the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth answers questions from reporters during a news conference at the Pentagon, November 10, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
HOUSE DEM MISSES HEGSETH’S DEMPACHMENT VOTE DUE TO MAJOR MEDICAL PROCEDURE ONE WEEK AFTER ELECTION DAY
Others blamed medical procedures and family emergencies.
The next day, a bill that Democratic leaders were actively urging lawmakers to vote against passed unanimously — simply because no Democrats had requested a roll call instead.
Democrats have accused Republicans of parliamentary manipulation, including a post on the minority X account on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Republicans pushed the bill this way intentionally so that their members would not have to officially support cuts to veterans’ benefits.”
But the majority of Democrats don’t think it’s an early sign of Jeffries’ potential for president.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES DECLARES BID FOR HOUSE SPEAKER AFTER GOP MIDTERM MASSACRE
“I think there’s frustration in terms of voting. I don’t really know where the divide is. And it seems like maybe there’s tension somewhere,” Democratic strategist Mike Nellis told Fox News Digital. “I think it will be up to the next speaker to make sure that everyone feels on the same page… Beyond that, if you ask me if it makes a difference in a leadership race, I mean, no one is running against Hakeem. I haven’t heard anyone seriously thinking about doing that, so I don’t know if it will change anything.”
He said House Democrats “have a lot of confidence” in Jeffries and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., who is poised to become the next House Majority Leader.
Democrat Dan Turrentine, co-host of “The Huddle,” told Fox News Digital “a few Democrats unintentionally missed a vote. Unfortunately, this happens periodically in both chambers, for both parties. It does not reflect Jeffries’ leadership.”
And other House Democrats, when asked about the issue, instead directed their frustration at their colleagues.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., arrives for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee deposition of former Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the Jeffrey Epstein records, in the Rayburn Building, Friday, May 29, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“My message is always to the membership: We need to be here and on time,” Clark told reporters Wednesday. “But the Republican Party has also made clear that it is not prepared, even after this election, to oppose Hegseth in this war.”
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Democrat of Florida, said: “It’s unfortunate, but it’s not about leadership. »
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Jeffries’ political team for comment.
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