The Democrats in the House of Representatives were flooded with calls opposing Hakeem Jeffries due to his pro-Israel position.
House Democrats are facing a wave of calls and emails urging them not to nominate Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker following the party's landslide victory in Tuesday's election, Axios reported.
Some lawmakers reported receiving hundreds of calls, with one describing the issue as their office's top concern. The response reflects growing frustration among Democratic voters with the party's leadership, particularly Jefferies' ties to pro-Israel organizations and corporate political action committees.
Some callers are pushing for Rep. Jamie Raskin, a prominent progressive Democrat, to replace Jeffries, though Raskin has expressed no interest in challenging him.
A Change.org petition opposing Jeffries had collected nearly 900,000 signatures by Friday, boosted in part by actor Mark Ruffalo's call for a “new speaker. Meanwhile, incoming Ohio Democrat Don Leonard said he would "look for a new leader" if Jeffries refuses to change his pro-Israel stance.
Despite the mounting pressure, Jeffries is still expected to secure the speakership after Democrats won a commanding majority in the House of Representatives of more than 250 seats. He retained unanimous support from his committee on previous speaker votes, and was unopposed.
However, some incoming Democrats have refused to pledge their support, highlighting divisions within the party ahead of the Nov. 18-19 leadership election and a Jan. 3 House Speaker vote.