Progressives want Ayanna Pressley, not Hakeem Jeffries, as the next House speaker

A petition backing Pressley has surpassed 50,000 signatures as grassroots opposition to Jeffries exposes divisions over the Democratic Party's future.

As Democratic Caucus leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries continues to face grassroots calls against his bid to be the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, some progressive voices are already floating the name of an alternative: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley .

“A speaker needs to know how to speak, and Ayanna Pressley is the woman for the moment,” said Saikat Chakrabarti, a former congressional candidate, former chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , and founder of the progressive group, Justice Democrats.

Pressley, a progressive who has represented Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District since 2019, has made no indication that she plans to challenge Jeffries for the speakership. In fact, despite calls from outside of Capitol Hill, no House Democrat appears to be challenging Jeffries, who has led the caucus since 2022. Still, House Democratic offices have said they’ve received hundreds of calls from constituents demanding that members not support Jeffries.

A petition calling for Congresswoman Pressley to be speaker on Change.org has surpassed more than 50,000 signatures.

“Ayanna’s track record speaks volumes,” writes the petition’s creator, Coalition for Speaker Ayanna Pressley. “Since her historic election as the first woman of color to represent Massachusetts in Congress, she has tirelessly advocated for policies that protect the most vulnerable, promote human rights, and ensure economic opportunities for all.”

Progressive political voices like Jennifer Welch, co-host of the popular “I’ve Had It” podcast are embracing the idea of Pressley being voted as speaker.

“This woman is a force,” said Welch, who played a soundbite from Pressley questioning White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, in which the congresswoman blasted the Trump official for being “as incompetent as you are cruel and callous.”

Welch added, “Not only do I want her to be Speaker of the House, let’s run her in ’28.”

Dr. Alvin Tillery, a political scientist and co-founder and CEO of 2040 Strategy Group , says Pressley’s emergence as the progressive pick for speaker is not surprising to him. He told theGrio she has demonstrated the “moral courage” and already comes from a “majority white district” and has the “ability to speak in ways that motivates people as an alternative.”

Tillery, who has advised progressive candidates this election cycle, including Rep.-elect Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania, noted that Pressley, along with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, has been engaging with the progressive base throughout the midterms.

He says the coalescing around Pressley represents how much the Democratic voter base is “farther to the left than the electeds and the donors.”

A petition from Rep. Pressley to back her “ agenda ” has only fueled grassroots calls for her to be Speaker. The petition lists a policy agenda that includes Medicare for All, expanding abortion rights, stopping data centers, and abolishing ICE.

“Republicans have been flooding the zone with lawlessness, cruelty, & corruption. And Democrats have a mandate to match their energy—boldly & unapologetically,” Pressley wrote in a social media post. “It’s not enough to be the adults in the room. We have to prove that we are the FIGHTERS in the room.”

However, Tillery added a caveat to the potential of a Speaker Pressley: “That’s not going to happen.”

As next week’s closed-door caucus vote to nominate the Democrats’ pick for speaker nears, Dr. Tillery says despite the grassroots movement against Jeffries and progressives backing other Democrats like Pressley and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the more centrist wing of the Democratic Party will ultimately back Jeffries.

“Going further to the left is a way to ensure that [Democrats] have a better chance of holding their majority in ’28. But they’re not going to do it because the donors aren’t on board,” Tillery explained.

The political scientist said the old guard of the Democratic caucus is also “invested” in Jeffries being speaker because they like him and because he was handpicked by his mentor, the former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“They’re loyal to Pelosi because for years and years and years she’s paid for their elections, and so they want this to happen, and it’s going to happen for that reason,” he said.

Tillery said the same can be said for the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus. He explained, “There’s an old guard that thinks representation—them having their seats and then having a Black speaker—is frankly worth as much, if not more, than actually delivering for the people.”

Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist and advisor to Jeffries, previously told theGrio that the New York congressman’s mission will be to “deliver on the promises he’s made to the American people. He added, “I just think that his steps have been ordered to be in this moment, and he’s going to deliver.”

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