Democrats Enter Hunger Games: Battle for Speaker Featuring No Clear Winner
KEY POINTS
- •Primaries this summer brought in several Democratic Socialists of America members hesitant to back Hakeem Jeffries as speaker.
- •Newly elected Melat Kiros said she will not support any Democrat who accepts corporate PAC money, implicitly targeting Jeffries.
- •Despite no clear challenger, progressives like Cori Bush and William Lawrence promise to challenge Jeffries’ leadership style in the 2027 Congress.
This summer’s Democratic primaries are heating up faster than a microwaved Lean Cuisine, introducing a wild crop of incoming House members eyeing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ speaker throne without committing to giving him the crown. Fresh DSA members like New Yorkers Darializa Avila-Chevalier and Claire Valdez, plus New Jerseyan Adam Hamawy, are perfecting the art of saying 'maybe' louder than a door slamming in Pelosi's 2018 face. Melat Kiros even demands leadership candidates ditch corporate PAC money, which Jeffries apparently drinks like it's Starbucks. Meanwhile, Philly’s Chris Rabb complains Jeffries backed Jeffries-backed candidates with 'problematic' rhetoric—because who wouldn't love a side of political betrayal with their morning coffee? Missouri’s ex-Reppin’ Cori Bush and Michigan’s William Lawrence are auditioning for the skeptic Olympics, while Jeffries stays cool boasting one unbroken Democratic vote streak over 20 speaker nights. In this bizarre political soap opera, 'anything could happen' is the understatement of 2026. Grab popcorn, politics is now a WWE cage match with less wrestling and more backroom eye-rolls.
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(1 of 3)Democrats stage an epic game of 'Who Actually Likes Jeffries?' Spoiler: It’s like choosing between soggy fries or no fries at all.
Jeffries could unite the party like sliced bread… if only the bread was also arguing where to put the toaster.
More Democratic freshmen are saying 'I might not vote Jeffries' than I do 'I’m definitely voting towel day.' Political chaos, sponsored by DSA and mild disillusionment.
Source: Axios | Published: 7/8/2026 | Author: Andrew Solender
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