Progressives Target Jeffries, Schumer Ouster Despite Democrats' 255-Seat House Win
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 10
Progressives Target Jeffries, Schumer Ouster Despite Democrats' 255-Seat House Win
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 10
Summary
Hundreds of calls to congressional offices and pressure from groups like Indivisible and the Machinists union are fueling campaigns to block Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer from keeping the top Democratic jobs.
Critics say the two New Yorkers are too tied to corporate donors, too supportive of Israel and too weak against Donald Trump, arguing last week’s midterm mandate was also a demand for change inside the party.
Jeffries still appears favored: Democrats have won 255 House seats and lead in six more races, and he would likely need more than 40 defections in January to lose the speakership.
Schumer also looks hard to unseat even as newly elected senators including Abdul El-Sayed, Annie Andrews and Adam Hamilton oppose him and Chris Van Hollen weighs a challenge.
Next week’s internal House vote and the Senate caucus’s secret ballot will test whether a progressive base energized by victory can translate outside pressure into leadership change.