- House Democrats have mostly floated because potential challengers don’t seem interested: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios on Thursday that his “dream job” is to chair the House Judiciary Committee.
- “I am not running for president in any way. … I support Hakeem and I vote for Hakeem,” Raskin said.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) privately told colleagues she did not want the role despite an online movement seeking to recruit her, according to several House Democrats who spoke directly with her.
- “Congresswoman Pressley is in active conversation with Leader Jeffries about how to leverage this majority, seize the moment and meet the expectations of the people,” spokesperson Ricardo Sanchez said in a statement to Axios.
- “She is aware of and appreciates the outpouring of support from people in her district and across the country who support her leadership.”
“He’s the only one running,” Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) told Axios Thursday when asked if she plans to vote for Jeffries for president.
- Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) said, “I really encourage our leaders to make it easy for me to vote for the one person running. But as of right now, there is… no one else who has put their name forward.”
- “From what I’ve heard, Jeffries is the only candidate,” said Rep.-elect Randy Villegas (D-Calif.).
- Jeffries said in an interview with NY1: “Someone could always emerge within the next week, but as of now, there’s no declared challenger, no indication that anyone might run.”
The plot: For once, it’s the Senate, not the House, that’s providing all the drama at the Capitol.
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) launched his bid to replace Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Thursday evening.
Yes, but: The progressive base continued this week to overwhelm incumbent and incoming House Democrats with calls and emails urging them to oppose Jeffries, according to lawmakers and their aides.
- Rep.-elect Don Leonard (D-Ohio) told Axios he received an “avalanche of messages.”
- Rep.-elect Melat Kiros (D-Colorado) said she receives “hundreds every day.”
- A senior House Democrat who supports Jeffries told Axios that callers to his office have suggested “about 10” different members as possible alternatives.
Jeffries pushed back on Axios’ report that members are being inundated with calls, saying in his NY1 interview, “There is no indication that members of Congress have been inundated with calls.”
State of affairs: Jeffries began encountering skeptics ahead of the House Democratic leadership election on Nov. 18. He is expected to easily win the nomination for speaker, determined by a simple majority vote of the caucus.
- The real question is whether any House Democrats will oppose him on the House floor on January 3 and deny him the unanimous support he has enjoyed from his caucus since he became leader in 2022.
- “We’re going to continue to talk to every member of the House Democratic caucus, whether they’re a current member or an incoming member, about what we can all do together for the American people,” Jeffries told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
- The Democratic leader said he was “confident that we are on a positive trajectory”, but takes “nothing for granted”.
Between the lines: Several Democratic House members and elected members predicted that, given the current popular pressure on progressives, at least a handful of them would likely openly oppose him.
What they say: Leonard told Axios that he spoke with Jeffries on Wednesday and shared what he heard from the callers, including “that the brand of the Democratic establishment is in the toilet and that the leader’s name is synonymous with the Democratic establishment.”
- Ramirez said she had “started conversations” with Jeffries and planned to “have more next week.”
- Asked if Jeffries had met with the skeptical “Bloc” of new progressives, she said, “My understanding is that they are scheduling time to meet with them. »
- Reps.-elect Richard Ojeda (D-N.C.) and LaKesha Womack (D-N.C.) said Jeffries met Wednesday with members of the North Carolina delegation, many of whom were resistant to electing the speaker.
- “We’re always in conversation, we’re always listening… at the end of the day, we’re going to sit down all together, we’re going to listen to everything and we’re going to move forward like that,” Ojeda said.
The bottom line: “I mean, right now, I don’t even know if there’s anyone who opposes him,” Ojeda added.
Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Kiros clarified that “hundreds” refers to all forms of outreach, including emails (and not “hundreds” of calls).
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