Dozens of Democrats seeking House seats told Axios they either would not vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for party leader or declined to say whether they would.
Of the 113 candidates who responded, according to Axios:
- 20 said they wouldn't vote for Jeffries as speaker or minority leader, with five more saying they were likely to vote against him.
- 57 candidates declined to commit to supporting Jeffries — saying it was premature to do so, citing ideological differences or perceived flaws in strategy, messaging, or leadership they want to see addressed.
- Only 24 said they would definitely vote for Jeffries, with another seven saying they would likely do so.
Although Jeffries has been one of the public faces of Democrats during the partial government shutdown, Axios found that some candidates don't think Jeffries is fighting hard enough against President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.
"I think we need to have a new type of leadership that's ... going to fight back significantly harder against the Trump administration," Heath Howard, a New Hampshire state representative running for an open U.S. House seat, told Axios.
"The anger of the base right now is not being matched by Democratic leadership," said Harry Jarin, who is challenging Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
One House progressive told Axios that Jeffries, 55, isn't progressive enough, saying that primary voters are "looking for younger, more progressive and more courageous [candidates] who are far more interested in representing their districts than going along with the leader."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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