Activists call for Pressley to launch House speaker bid against Jeffries

Progressive activists are urging House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to launch a bid for the speakership against Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. Ricardo Sanchez, a Pressley spokesperson, revealed that she is in active discussions with Jeffries to leverage their majority and benefit constituents. Pressley has privately dismissed the idea of running, and hasn't begun setting the groundwork for a bid.

Jeffries is expected to clinch the speakership next week, but House Democrats are bracing for internal conflicts as younger lawmakers vie for more power after the party will assume its biggest majority in decades. Democrats have floated several potential changes to the caucus, including implementing term limits, shaking up panel leaders, and establishing select committees focused on policy issues.

Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., suggested that the time is right to establish term limits as many new members enter the caucus. Meanwhile, Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., has initiated a push to alter the seniority system for subcommittee leadership positions. Jeffries and Democratic leaders may face challenges from a wave of new lawmakers who do not adhere to traditional caucus norms when selecting leaders based on seniority.

Rep.-elect Luke Bronin, who recently unseated a long-serving Democratic incumbent, emphasized the importance of including the voices of this energetic, new generation of members, and fostering a healthier party and Congress through fresh perspectives and renewal. Democrats are also debating the future of the select panel on China and whether to maintain or disband it, as well as the possibility of establishing a select committee on AI.

Some argue for folding the China committee into Speaker Jeffries' panel, while others propose creating a separate Foreign Affairs subpanel on AI and chips, potentially igniting a power struggle with other influential committee leaders.