HouseUpdated Nov 5, 2026
The people’s house should get a real vote for Speaker.
NBC News projects Democrats will win control of the House (NBC News, as of 12:47 PM ET on Nov 5, 2026). Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is the expected nominee for Speaker and no challenger has emerged. We think a majority this size should choose its leader in a competitive election, with a real choice on the ballot. We are not proposing anyone to replace him.
Some of the people we quote defend Jeffries, and we include his record where it helps him. Read the other side and what he has done right.
- Dem
- 244
- Uncalled
- 36
- Rep
- 155
Take action
Two steps, in this order. Total time: about three minutes.
Sign the petition
“House Democrats: CHOOSE A NEW SPEAKER” on Change.org. It asks members of the incoming 120th Congress to hold a competitive Speaker election. It names no replacement. It had 500,000+ signatures as of Nov 5, 2026; the live count is on the petition page.
Sign on Change.org (opens in a new tab) ↗
Disclosure. Change.org labels this petition a paid partnership. Its starter, Nicole Whitted, is a Change.org Ambassador who receives compensation in connection with it (petition page; Newsweek). It lists Reps. Pete Aguilar and Ted Lieu as decision makers; both sit on Jeffries’ own leadership team and are not proposed as alternatives. Signers are not verified Democrats or constituents. This site is not affiliated with the petition.
Call your own House member
Use 5 Calls to find your representative’s number: enter your zip there. It is a generic constituent-services page, not a Speaker-vote script, so use ours below.
Find my member on 5 Calls (opens in a new tab) ↗
Your call script
Democrat who just won: congratulate first. Then ask.
- “Hello, my name is [your name], and I’m a constituent in [your zip].”
- “First, congratulations on your victory.”
- “I’m calling about the Democratic Speaker vote. We need new leadership, and at minimum a competitive election with a real choice, not a coronation.”
- “Voters just put Democrats on track for the House majority. The caucus should choose a leader who reflects that energy, and a contested vote is how you show it.”
- “Will you commit to a competitive Speaker election? And where do you stand on Hakeem Jeffries?”
- “Thank you for your time.” (Ask them to note your name and zip. Be polite: the person answering is staff.)
Republican member: they have no vote in the Democratic caucus’s nomination, so this call matters much less. Skip the congratulations. You can leave a short, courteous message, or skip to sharing.
- “Hello, my name is [your name], a constituent in [your zip].”
- “I know you aren’t part of the Democratic caucus. I’m asking you to support open, competitive votes on House leadership.”
- “Thank you for your time.”
Voicemail? Say your name, your zip, and the ask in one sentence. About 30 seconds is plenty.
Why a real vote
- NBC News projects Democratic control of the House: 244 D, 155 R, 36 uncalled as of 12:47 PM ET on Nov 5, 2026 (NBC News).
- Jeffries is running for Speaker. The date of the House Democratic caucus vote on its nominee is not confirmed in any source we opened. It has been reported as Nov 18, so check with the caucus. Time reports he is well positioned to win (Time, Nov 4, 2026).
- The floor election for Speaker happens when the 120th Congress convenes on Jan 3, 2027, under the 20th Amendment (20th Amendment text; Time also reports Jan 3). A Speaker needs a majority of members voting for a named person.
- Jeffries wrote on Nov 4, 2026: “We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority.” Newsmax, carried by Yahoo, reports that no challenger has emerged (Yahoo News).
- No verified House member or member-elect has said they will vote against him. A handful of incoming progressive Democrats have declined to commit (see who).
A majority that voters just handed to Democrats should pick its leader by choosing, not by default. We want a competitive election with a real choice. We are arguing for a contest, not against a person’s character, and we are not naming a replacement.
Critics say Jeffries has steered the caucus to the right and has not delivered on issues like Medicare for All. His defenders say he held the caucus nearly unanimous on the biggest votes and led Democrats back to a majority. Both are on this page, with sources. If he is the best choice, a contested vote will show it.
Our reading of the polls: Democrats are dissatisfied with party leadership in general. Where Jeffries is named, most Democrats surveyed view him favorably, and results vary by district. Details below.
Voices
Exact quotes, with who said them and when. Only people who actually criticized him appear under “Critics.” Everyone else is in the other two groups.
Critics
“Hakeem Jeffries has betrayed working-class voters and really steered the caucus to the right.”
“Schumer and Jeffries have failed their party and country through wobbly leadership.”
“This man is so out of touch with his party. How is he their leader?”
“So why is Hakeem Jeffries talking like he’s Chuck E. Cheese Obama?”
“The people who are criticizing him are right to criticize him.”
“The only way [Jeffries] should work with him is with demands for documents and subpoenas.”
“I would not support Hakeem Jeffries or Schumer as leaders.”
“I hope to have an alternative to Jeffries to vote for.”
Not committed yet
None of these members has said they will vote against him. “Not committed” is what they said. There is no official tally; Time describes it as “a handful” (Time, Nov 4, 2026).
“I’m not committed to voting yes or no.”
“Something I’m still thinking about and talking to my community about.”
“I don’t reflexively give my support to anyone.”
“I want to see an agenda, an actual plan for how we get things done.”
He wants “assurances that we can push legislation that our communities need.”
“No king in the White House, no king in the House.”
The other side
People who back Jeffries, or who oppose challenging him now. Several are progressives we would otherwise expect critics to cite.
“I continue to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader.”
“I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now.”
“We’re not a caucus of breaking things. We’re a caucus of ‘yes,’ and of building things.”
“You give him a chance because there’s no viable alternative with loyalty in the party right now.”
“We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority.”
Also on this side of the ledger: Chi Ossé floated a challenge to Jeffries in NY-8 in 2025 and ended it on Dec 5, 2025 (NY1). There is no declared challenger for Speaker today, which is part of why we are asking for a contest.
Money
Jeffries’ campaign committee, from FEC filings. These are totals as reported by the FEC, and recent data can change.
Chart: where the campaign’s receipts came from, by cycle (FEC, Jeffries for Congress, C00503052)
| Cycle | Total receipts | Individuals | Other committees (PACs) | Transfers from other authorized committees | Ending cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (1/1/2021 to 12/31/2022) | $6,037,500 | $2,833,775 | $2,054,097 | $1,026,541 | $2,216,225 |
| 2024 (1/1/2023 to 12/31/2024) | $22,977,197 | $15,936,794 | $2,639,351 | $4,384,634 | $4,954,565 |
| 2026 (1/1/2025 to 10/14/2026, pre-general report) | $17,893,352 | $12,690,722 | $2,765,400 | $2,342,805 | $4,234,848 |
In plain terms: in the 2024 cycle Jeffries’ campaign committee reported $22.98 million in total receipts, of which $2.64 million (11.5%) came from other political committees (PACs). Individual contributions were $15.94 million. Totals include joint-fundraising and committee transfers.
The “other committees” line includes labor, trade and ideological PACs and other members’ leadership PACs. It is not a corporate-PAC figure, and we have no verified breakdown by sector. We deliberately leave out lobbying-group dollar figures and donor names we could not verify against FEC filings. Being a party leader means attracting routine PAC giving; the question here is only how much of the money is from committees.
Text version of the money chart
2022: $6.04M total, of which $2.83M individuals, $2.05M PACs and other committees, $1.03M transfers. 2024: $22.98M total, of which $15.94M individuals, $2.64M PACs and other committees, $4.38M transfers. 2026 through Oct 14: $17.89M total, of which $12.69M individuals, $2.77M PACs and other committees, $2.34M transfers. Source: FEC (links above).
The roll-call record
Every row links to the Clerk of the House roll-call record. Tallies are Democrats’ Yea-Nay unless noted; Present and not-voting are left out. A “table” motion is a vote to kill the underlying measure, so Yea means to block it.
Yea / AyeNay / NoPresent
Chart: Jeffries’ votes the critics point to, and the votes that cut the other way
Votes critics point to
| Date | Roll and exact motion | Jeffries | Dems (Y-N) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-11 | Roll 70: H R 1968, Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, On Passage | Nay | 1-212 | Passed 217-213. House Democrats opposed the GOP full-year CR as a bloc; one Democrat voted Yea. (This is the House vote; the Senate vote is a separate matter.) |
| 2025-06-24 | Roll 175: H Res 537, Impeaching Donald J. Trump, On Motion to Table | Yea | 128-79 | Tabling passed. A Yea kills the resolution; a majority of voting Democrats did the same. |
| 2025-07-17 | Roll 200: S 1582, GENIUS Act (stablecoin regulation), On Passage | Yea | 102-110 | Democrats split. We found no direct link to crypto donations. He voted Nay on the CLARITY Act (below). |
| 2025-07-18 | Roll 207: H R 4016, Greene of Georgia Amendment No. 114 (cut about $500M in cooperative Israel missile-defense funding), On Agreeing to the Amendment | No | 4-207 | Failed 6-422. Subject confirmed by news reports, not by the clerk. The clerk date is Jul 18 (just after midnight); some reports say Jul 17. |
| 2025-11-12 | Roll 285: H R 5371, Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment | Nay | 6-207 | Passed. The final House vote ending the shutdown. He voted Nay on the bill that reopened the government, along with 207 other Democrats. |
| 2025-12-11 | Roll 322: H Res 939, impeaching Trump, On Motion to Table | Present | 23-140, 47 Present | Tabling passed. Present is neither for nor against, and we do not claim to know why. |
| 2026-04-30 | Roll 155: S 4465, FISA title VII extension, Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Yea | 94-85 | Passed. |
| 2026-07-15 | Roll 243: H R 8595, Massie of Kentucky Amendment No. 8 (strip about $3.3B in Israel security assistance), On Agreeing to the Amendment | No | 103-98, 10 Present | Failed. Jeffries called it “overly broad.” Whip Clark voted Yea. Subject confirmed by news reports, not by the clerk. |
| 2026-09-15 | Roll 298: H Res 1486, impeaching Trump, On Motion to Table | Present | 18-147, 46 Present | Tabling passed. |
Counter-votes: the votes that cut the other way
| Date | Roll and exact motion | Jeffries | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-02 | Roll 105: H Res 76, removing Rep. Omar from a committee | Nay | Dems 0-211. |
| 2023-11-01 and 11-07 | Roll 559: H Res 829, Tlaib censure, Motion to Table. Roll 622: H Res 845, Tlaib censure, On Agreeing | Yea then Nay | Yea to table (Dems 199-0); Nay on adopting the censure (Dems 22-184). |
| 2023-12-06 | Roll 704: H Res 914, Bowman censure, Motion to Table | Yea | Dems 201-0. Yea means he voted to block the censure. |
| 2025-03-05, 09-03, 09-17 | Roll 60 (Al Green), Roll 223 (McIver), Roll 276 (Omar): censure resolutions, Motion to Table | Yea each | Dems 209-0, 210-0, 210-0. Tabling failed on roll 60, so that censure proceeded; it passed on 223 and 276. |
| 2025-05-22 and 07-03 | Roll 145, Roll 190: H R 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passage and concurrence | Nay each | Dems 0-212 each time. |
| 2025-07-17 | Roll 199: H R 3633, CLARITY Act | Nay | Dems 78-134. Shown beside the GENIUS Act vote above. |
| 2024-03-07, 2025-01-07, 2025-01-22 | Roll 66, Roll 6, Roll 23: Laken Riley Act | Nay each | Dems 37-170, 48-159, 46-156. |
| 2024-02-06 and 05-16 | Roll 38: H R 7217, stand-alone Israel supplemental. Roll 217: H R 8369, Israel Security Assistance Support Act | Nay each | Dems 46-166 and 16-184. These are Nay votes on specific GOP bills, not a position on Israel overall. |
| 2025-12-17, 2026-01-22, 03-05, 04-16, 05-14, 06-03, 07-23, 09-15 | War powers resolutions (Western Hemisphere, Venezuela, Iran): 345, 48, 85, 114, 170, 199, 282, 307 | Yea each | Dates are from each clerk roll. Rolls 199 (Jun 3), 282 (Jul 23) and 307 (Sep 15) passed; the other five failed. Roll 345 is Western Hemisphere, 48 is Venezuela, the rest are Iran. |
| 2026-02-11 | Roll 65: H J Res 72, end the tariff emergency | Yea | Dems 213-1. |
| 2025-11-18 | Roll 289: H R 4405, Epstein Files Transparency Act | Aye | Dems 211-0. We make no claim about his role in the discharge petition. |
Our reading of the pattern is ours, labeled as such: on the biggest party-line fights he held the caucus together, and on procedural votes about impeachment and Israel-related funding he voted with the leadership side or declined to take one. A reasonable person can read that as discipline or as caution.
Text version of the votes chart
Votes critics point to: Nay on the 2025 full-year CR; Yea to table an impeachment resolution (June 2025); Yea on the GENIUS Act; No on the Greene amendment; Nay on the bill that ended the shutdown; Present on two impeachment tabling motions; Yea on the FISA extension; No on the Massie amendment. Counter-votes: Nay on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Laken Riley Act; Yea on war powers resolutions and ending the tariff emergency; Yea to table censures of five Democrats; Aye on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The tables above give every roll number.
Polls
Polls show Democrats are dissatisfied with party leadership in general. Where Jeffries is named, most Democrats in these surveys view him favorably, and results vary by district.
| Poll | Result | Read it this way |
|---|---|---|
| Pew Research Center, survey of 3,445 adults, Sep 22 to 28, 2025 (published Sep 30); Democrats and Democratic leaners | 59% disapprove, 40% approve of the job Democratic leaders in Congress are doing. For Jeffries: 41% view him favorably, 20% unfavorably. Among all U.S. adults, 45% have never heard of him. | About leaders in general. Jeffries himself has low name recognition. |
| Embold Research, Jan 2026, base Democrats (as reported by The New Republic, which commissioned it; we did not find the Embold original) | Jeffries 60% favorable. | This cuts against our case, and we include it. |
| Redbox Research for A Fight Worth Having PAC (an anti-Jeffries progressive group), Democratic primary likely voters | NY-15 (Apr 28 to May 10, n=422): continue 61, replace 31. AZ-04 (Jul 6-8, n=424): 34, 45. MO-01 (Jul 19-20, n=503): 37, 43. Favorability: 66%, 53%, 50%. | Commissioned by an anti-Jeffries PAC; three districts only; we show the pre-message numbers. |
What he has done right
A case for a real vote is stronger if it is fair. This is the record his supporters would cite, and we think they have a point.
- Voted Nay on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (roll 145, 190) and the Laken Riley Act (66, 6, 23); voted Yea on war powers resolutions, several of which passed, and on ending the tariff emergency (roll 65).
- Voted Yea to table censures of Reps. Omar, Tlaib, Bowman, Green and McIver, and Nay on removing Omar from a committee (roll 105).
- Voted for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Democrats backed 211-0 (roll 289).
- Kept the caucus nearly unanimous on key votes: 212 of 213 voting Democrats opposed the March 2025 CR (roll 70), and 0-212 against H R 1.
- Endorsed Rep. Summer Lee in January 2024 against AIPAC-backed opposition (The Intercept).
- Endorsed Zohran Mamdani on Oct 24, 2025. Critics say it was late, which is a fair criticism, but he did endorse (ABC7 New York).
- Led Democrats to a projected House majority (NBC News, as of Nov 5, 2026).
- Has public backing from Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez (see the other side).
Sources and methods
How we checked
- Every roll-call row was checked against the Clerk of the House XML for member J000294 on Nov 5, 2026: date, motion, result and party tallies.
- FEC totals are from the candidate pages for H2NY10092 (links in the money table). The FEC notes recent data may change.
- Quotes are reproduced as published in the linked outlet. Where we saw only a second-hand report, the label says so.
- Facts are stated plainly with a source. Opinion is labeled “Our view” or “our reading.”
What we left out, and why
- Dollar figures for lobbying-group or super PAC spending, and named megadonors. Sources conflict and none were verified against the FEC.
- Any claim that members who have not committed “oppose” Jeffries.
- Any characterization of donors, voters or groups by ethnicity or religion.
- Votes where the motion text could not be verified.
Time-sensitive items (seat counts, petition signatures, the caucus date) carry an “as of” date. Please tell us if one is stale or wrong.
Related: noschumer.com, the sister site on Senate Democratic leadership.