Amid a historic blue tsunami, voters are asking whether Democratic leadership is strong enough to meet the moment.
A petition
urging elected Democrats to select a House speaker other than Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, has gained more than 1 million signatures since it was created in September. Similar petitions against Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, resuming his role as Senate majority leader have reached more than 100,000 signatures, collectively.“The Speaker has enormous influence over the direction of the House, including its legislative priorities and agenda,” the petition against Jeffries reads. “Before casting their votes, representatives should closely examine Jeffries's public record, policy positions, campaign donor record and leadership
... and listen to constituents who do not want him elevated to Speaker.”
These voters are right to question whether Schumer and Jeffries are ready to meet the moment. From what we saw during the first two years of President Donald Trump's destructive presidency, they are not.
Democratic leadership failed for two years. This isn't their victory lap
Let’s be clear – it was not just Democrats who won the midterm elections. It was progressives.
The most notable winners from Nov. 3, like Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Rep.-elect Brad Lander in New York, were not the candidates that establishment Democrats wanted to win in the primary elections.
It is specifically candidates who questioned our nation’s longstanding ties to Israel who were able to push through on election night – and that’s something that the establishment Democratic Party seems wary of doing.
Schumer and Jeffries are acting as though the blue wave was their doing, and that they are going to deliver the change voters want to see as the Democrats’ leaders in Congress. I don’t believe they can.
“Against all odds, House Democrats were consistently successful in the minority,” Jeffries said in a letter announcing his intent to run for House speaker. “We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority.”
It’s a nice sentiment, but I’m not sure he's ready to do what is needed. Jeffries, for example, has said that impeachment is not a priority for Democrats, angering progressives who argue that the party can focus on affordability and corruption at the same time.
The same goes for Schumer, who failed to endorse New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2025. If you can’t get behind one of the most popular politicians on the left, I’m not sure you can lead the country.
Our new members of Congress must remember the precarious place Democrats were in after the 2024 election. They must remember that the party was not popular, and was seen as ineffective under these same leaders. They will not magically become competent just because the Democrats are in power in the next Congress.
Democrats were in shambles and historically unpopular after the presidential election. That was because of Democrats like Schumer and Jeffries.
Democrats need to pick new leaders willing to fight
Schumer and Jeffries are my representatives in Congress. I did not hear a peep from them throughout this election cycle, and they failed throughout Trump's first two years. Jeffries wasn’t even in his district on election night, choosing instead to make remarks from Washington, DC.
Even if Schumer and Jeffries are selected to once again lead the party, they must remember that their duty is to their constituents back home.
The fight isn’t over for either of them. In many ways, they never publicly joined the fight that Democrats won on election night.
Jeffries narrowly avoided a primary challenge this year from New York City Councilman Chi Ossé, whose failure to secure support from the Democratic Socialists of America led him to end his campaign before it began.
I truly believe this was an error on the DSA’s part – had Jeffries had a strong challenger, he would have had to show his Brooklyn district what he had done for them in recent years. I hope to see Ossé or another progressive take on the House Democratic leader in 2028.
Meanwhile, Democratic Bronx Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has refused to rule out challenging Schumer in the 2028 primary election. I hope she does – the popularity of Ocasio-Cortez among New Yorkers and across the country would serve her well as a senator, and her policy proposals are ones that excite voters.
In the meantime, Democrats can show that they are not willing to go back to politics as usual by selecting new leaders in Congress.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats need to meet the moment. Schumer, Jeffries can't | Opinion
