Calls for Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Chuck Schumer to step down from their leadership positions are growing as the dust from Tuesday’s midterm election settles. The calls—coming from inside and outside of Congress—cite a lack of vision, an unwillingness to go after Trump, the continued acceptance of corporate PAC money, and an extreme deference to the Israeli government.
There are lots of questions circulating about Schumer’s future in Senate leadership. Minnesota Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan declared on election night that it’s “time for new leadership” in the Senate. Senators-elect James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed have also expressed doubt in Schumer’s future as leader, with El-Sayed even introducing Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen as the “next Senate majority leader” earlier this summer. Van Hollen himself said on Wednesday that “no one should be committing to anybody as the next Democratic leader” without having a conversation around a bold agenda. “It’s not a time for incrementalism. It’s a time to move forward a very bold kitchen table agenda.”
Jeffries hasn’t escaped without criticism, either. A Change.org petition to replace Jeffries and have an open election for House speaker has reached over 500,000 signatures. House Democrats start with a party vote to select a speaker before that candidate is confirmed by the larger House in January.
“Hakeem Jeffries currently serves as House Democratic Leader and has previously been nominated by House Democrats for Speaker. If his name is put forward again, House members will have a choice to make. Hakeem Jeffries is simply not the right choice,” the petition, which was shared by actor Mark Ruffalo, reads. “We believe the Speaker should represent the Democratic voters, not just the Democratic establishment.”
“After historic wins on Tuesday, I believe the Democratic Party and our country as a whole is at a crossroads. My opposition to Hakeem Jeffries is about more than any single policy disagreement,” said author and political commentator Nicole Whitted, the petition’s creator. “Hakeem Jeffries has longstanding political and financial ties to corporate interests and influential pro-Israel lobbying organizations. He also held a private meeting with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and outside advisor, who himself is being investigated by the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee. These relationships and decisions raise serious questions for me and many of those who have signed this petition about transparency, political influence, and whose interests Democratic leadership is ultimately serving.”
Opposition to Jeffries’s potential speakership grew even louder after his strangely conciliatory comments on Wednesday regarding whether the Democratic Party will retaliate against the Trump administration’s corruption and violence now that it has a staunch majority.
“The American people don’t want us to get even, they want us to get things done on their behalf,” Jeffries told MS NOW, specifically ruling out impeachment as a top priority. “We ran on affordability, we won on affordability, and now it’s our job to govern on affordability.”
Hakeem Jeffries on Morning Joe: The American people don't want us to get even. They want us to get things done on their behalf because life is way too expensive.We ran on affordability, we won on affordability, and now it's our job to govern on affordability. pic.twitter.com/b5ieQUbMRO
— Clipping Wings (@ClippingWings) November 4, 2026That notion was met with quite a bit of backlash.
“I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you can focus on affordability issues—and— hold criminals accountable,” Campaign for New York Health executive director Melanie D’Arrigo wrote. “When you don’t hold criminals accountable, you’re giving them a strategy to be more successful next time.”
“This isn’t even about revenge or politics, it’s about the reality that if there aren’t consequences & prison time for quite a few people, all the worst parts of the last decade will keep happening,” writer Kylie Chueng added. “He fundamentally misunderstands the moment & can’t be speaker.”
“Let’s be clear here: conducting meaningful oversight to expose waste, fraud, abuse and corruption isn’t about getting even, it’s about being watchful stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Texas Democratic Party adviser Kurt Bardella wrote. “It’s the job.”
“They fired all the black and gay people, cut cancer research, cut healthcare for millions, cut food for starving children, killed hundreds of schoolgirls, separated families, put kids in camps, and shot people in the street,” a large liberal account wrote. “We better get fucking even.”
Newly elected democratic socialist Representative Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania has already declined to endorse Jeffries’s speakership, saying that he needed to address issues like Medicare for All first—which Jeffries currently opposes.
Jeffries was also criticized for his deep ties to Israel. Jeffries is one of the strongest Democratic supporters of Israel, and one of AIPAC’s top recipients, as the majority of Democratic voters oppose more aid to Israel in the wake of its genocide of Palestinians. A clip of Jeffries declaring, “Israel today, Israel tomorrow, Israel forever!” at a 2014 rally—a paraphrasing of infamous racist former Alabama Governor George Wallace’s 1963 demands for segregation—has also begun to recirculate.
Hakeem "America is back" Jeffries, who is set to become Speaker of the House, said at a 2014 rally: "Israel today, Israel tomorrow, Israel forever!" pic.twitter.com/aud5JeBMxu
— HatsOff (@HatsOffff) November 4, 2026To make matters worse, after the election, AIPAC praised the Democrats who would remain by Israel’s side, mentioning Schumer and Jeffries by name and promising to keep funding candidates of either party as long as they continued to support Israel.
“AIPAC congratulates the hundreds of pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans who won their elections last night,” the controversial lobbying group wrote on Wednesday. “We congratulate Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the resounding victories for their caucuses.… Our community will increase its support for Democrats and Republicans who recognize that a strong partnership with Israel helps keep both countries secure, advances peace and stability, promotes democratic values, and grows our economy through trade and innovation.”
“Bye,” newly elected California Representative and Democratic Socialists of America member Angela Gonzales-Torres replied.
Hence then, the article about calls to replace jeffries and schumer explode after democratic wins was published today ( ) and is available on The New Republic ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Calls to Replace Jeffries and Schumer Explode After Democratic Wins )
Also on site :
- 38 Years Ago Today, ’60s Rock Band Formed by Teenagers Beat Phil Collins to Secure Their 4th and Final No. 1 Hit
- Quote Of The Day By Jeff Bridges: 'I Thought, If Death Is The End Of The Story, The End Of The Book, Then Marriage Is...'
- South African president’s party takes early election lead