New York’s Brad Lander said he would support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker if Democrats win back the House — an olive branch from a candidate expected to become one of Congress’ highest-profile progressives.
Lander and several likely members of Congress — including Melat Kiros, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez and Chris Rabb — are part of a group of uber-progressive Democrats, many aligned with the leftist Democratic Socialists of America, who recently won competitive primaries in safe blue districts. The majority of them have not committed to supporting Jeffries if Democrats win in November.
Lander’s support for Jeffries, who is a fellow New Yorker, is a tacit admission that the members are willing to give leadership a chance as they’re on the cusp of winning back the majority — but still he warned that “voters are fed up with the status quo.”