A petition calling on House Democrats not to support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker has hit 500,000 signatures, according to its creator.

It follows the Democrats' dramatic midterm election victory that saw the party flip both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which will lead to a new Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House.

The petition, which labels Jeffries part of the “Democratic establishment,” suggests Democratic leaders are likely to remain under pressure from their party’s left-wing over both personal and policy choices. It was created by Nicole Whitted, an author and Democratic supporting social media creator with over 210,000 followers on TikTok.

For those who don't want to give newsweek a click: https://www.change.org/p/house-democrats-choose-a-new-speaker

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[–] 40 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (37 children)

I'd say that Ro Khanna or Pramila Jayapal in terms of seniority and experience and proven progressive streak should become Speaker.

For US Senate, I see nobody better than Senator Sanders who is actually the visionary who helped set this all in motion, unlike Schumer. It's a perfect role and way to cement his legacy in a substantive way.

For both these positions, age is less of an issue and more respect, experience, and understanding of chamber rules matter more.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 day ago (13 children)

    Being the Senate majority leader requires a different skillset than retail campaigning. We need a progressive in that role, though, definitely, someone who will take risks and bend only when absolutely necessary.

    You also don't want to put any potential presidential candidates in there--legislators have a lot of exposure to attack ads by voting for bills they don't 100% agree with but are worth the tradeoffs and a majority leader is going to have less freedom to vote No.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 day ago* (7 children)

    I feel this is exactly why Sanders is perfect for the role, though.

    • He's worked on bipartisan legislation
    • He's one of the most experienced, longest-serving members of Congress.
    • He's by definition "Independent"
    • He is a visionary, and fulfills precisely what is entirely lacking by way of Schumer in lack of passion and willingness to fight.

    The mere signal this would send to say that progressives are here to stay for the Democratic party would be massive alone.

    That said I'm open to other suggestions, but the options are somewhat limited for experienced progressives who understand Senate rules and decorum and have relationships with much of the Senate.

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