Hakeem Jeffries launches bid for House speaker after Democratic midterm gains

Jeffries seeks the gavel

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told colleagues in a letter on Wednesday, 4 November, that he is running for speaker of the House. The floor vote is set for 3 January, and if he wins he would become the first Black speaker. Democrats have long viewed the New Yorker, who has served two terms as minority leader, as the heir apparent to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The letter, which Axios obtained, asks colleagues for their support and argues that the party must now act on the change voters demanded.

“We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority.”

The timeline runs from the midterm vote on 3 November to the January floor vote in the new Congress.

Results and the size of the majority

Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress in the 3 November midterms, with upset wins in several Republican strongholds. Jeffries told a news conference that Democrats expect at least 255 House seats once all vote counts are final. The New York Times projection cited by Axios puts Democrats at as many as 256 seats, against 178 for Republicans. Axios also reported that Democrats flipped districts where national parties had not spent money, likely unseating Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert and Richard Hudson. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer held his own news conference, and he and Jeffries are poised to be the first congressional leaders from the same state since the 1950s.

Jeffries described the outcome in strong terms at his news conference on Wednesday.

“It wasn't simply a blue wave. It was an American tsunami.”

Democrats, expected by Jeffries (at least)255

Democrats, NYT projection (as many as)256

Republicans, NYT projection178

Democrats, expected by Jeffries (at least)

255 seats

Democrats, NYT projection (as many as)

256 seats

Republicans, NYT projection

178 seats

Data from the article text

Caucus support and the left flank

Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat who leads the centre-left New Democrat Coalition, told Axios that the size of the win lets Jeffries govern without being leveraged by anyone. He said he has full confidence that every New Democrat who won with the group's endorsement will vote for Jeffries. Several progressives have declined to commit to him, and The Bloc, a group of hard-charging leftists, has signaled it would use votes as leverage on Medicare for All, defunding ICE and cutting aid to Israel. One incoming progressive told Axios the left's strategy would look different with a smaller margin, because leaders have more flexibility with big majorities.

Agenda and the limits of a majority

Jeffries has framed the next Congress around affordability. Speaking on MS Now's Morning Joe, he said Democrats would focus on getting things done rather than seeking revenge against President Donald Trump and his allies.

“We ran on affordability. We won on affordability. And now it's our job to govern on affordability.”

He has previewed early votes on ending Trump administration tariffs, reversing Republican-led Medicaid cuts and restoring expired Affordable Care Act tax credits. He has also promised oversight probes aimed at the president, his relatives, the administration and companies allied with him. Trump has threatened to use his veto against legislation he opposes, which could limit what Democrats pass even with a majority. Jeffries pointed to a bipartisan housing affordability bill passed in July that became law without Trump's signature after the president called it "a yawn".

Background to the bid

Jeffries, 56, was born and raised in Brooklyn and has represented parts of the borough in Congress since 2013, a House tenure of nearly 14 years. He was elected minority leader in 2022 and rose under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also served six years in the New York State Assembly, where he worked on regulating warrantless stop-and-frisk searches by the New York City Police Department. As a policymaker in the first Trump administration, he led the effort to pass the First Step Act, which reduced sentences for some drug crimes. As speaker he would be second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president.