Hakeem Jeffries

Hakeem Jeffries’ supporters don’t just want him to win — they want him to win big. The massive Democratic House victory last week has transformed what might have otherwise been a fraught effort for the sitting minority leader to secure the speaker’s gavel , where a smaller majority could have empowered a tightknit block of hard-left holdouts. Now a broader group is intent on sending a message. “The people want to see unity,” Rep. Troy Carter of Louisiana said in an interview. “They don't want to see fighting. They don't want to see infighting. They want to see the level of togetherness to advance an agenda.” The good feelings surrounding Democrats’ House gains have quieted the debate about the leadership of the caucus, however large it might be. As counting continues and operatives hold out hope for 260 seats — the largest majority for any party since 1993 — progressive activists continue to call for an alternative to Jeffries. While no sitting or incoming lawmaker has announced outright opposition, several who ran on populist economic platforms are withholding endorsements. “I want to see who the other options are and what their agendas are, so that we can make sure that it aligns with the needs of my congressional district,” said Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack of North Carolina. On Capitol Hill, Jeffries’ allies aren’t fretting about the ultimate outcome — he can afford at least three dozen defections — but his allies are now working to unify Democrats ahead of a nominating vote next week and an official tally on the House floor in early January. “The American people want us to focus in on issues of affordability,” Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the incoming Rules Committee chair, said in an interview. “That's what I heard: affordability, affordability, affordability. So let's get on with the business of electing Hakeem as speaker, and let's focus in on what this election was all about.” The chaotic past four years of GOP rule are hanging over the vote. Hamstrung by relatively tiny majorities, GOP leaders struggled to keep unruly factions in step — often resulting in dramatic confrontations. In 2023, a group of discontented Republicans voted out a speaker for the first time, putting the deposed Kevin McCarthy into the history books. Many Democrats said they are intent on setting the tone early that this majority will be functional and productive, not constantly racked by factional warfare. “I don't believe that we can have the kind of acrimony that we had under Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans,” Rep.-elect Dan Koh of Massachusetts told reporters Sunday. “We need to learn from MAGA. … We need to get to the bottom of [President Donald] Trump's corruption and lower costs for people. We can't have months and months of acrimony.” Jeffries boasts strong backing around the caucus, with power bases in the Congressional Black Caucus, which is projected to have more than 60 members next term, and the New Democrat Coalition, which is tracking toward mor