Scoop: Dem insurgents won't commit to backing Jeffries

• Democrats have been feeling the heat in their districts, with furious town hall audience members demanding they adopt more hardball tactics to counter the Trump administration.

What they're saying: Saikat Chakrabarti, who is challenging House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), told Axios, "I wouldn't vote for Jeffries."

• "From what I'm seeing of Jeffries right now, I don't think he's leading," said Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
• Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive influencer running against Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), told Axios her vote for speaker "just depends on the situation" and said she is "not super happy with" Jeffries.
• "If he gets with the program and gets what people want and doesn't chastise members of his own party for standing up to Trump, that could change. He just needs to get based. Real simple," she added.

Zoom in: Asked who she wants to see in leadership, Abughazaleh pointed to Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

• Ocasio-Cortez is "packing stadiums," she said. "This just seems so obvious to me. I don't understand why the party isn't looking to her and Bernie for what people want."
• Said Chakrabarti: "I mean, I'm not sure who else in the party right now could lead, is the problem. ... I think we need whole new people to run, come, take over the party. We need new leadership in there."

The other side: Asked by Axios at a press conference how confident he is that he will maintain the full support of his caucus in the next speaker election, Jeffries responded, "Very."

• "I've had unanimous support now, what, 20 different times across two different Congresses? Kind of speaks for itself," he said.
• Jeffries — who has a policy of backing his incumbents against primary foes — has also praised Schakowsky as a "stalwart progressive member" and said he will talk to her about her 2026 plans "at some point."
• Jeffries' office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Between the lines: Jeffries has maintained the unflagging loyalty of his caucus since becoming leader in 2022, and even some prominent House progressives dismissed the significance of these comments.

• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Axios, "People get challenges all the time from the left, and I think the real question is who can run a credible race."
• Both Abughazaleh and Chakrabarti are considered underdogs in their respective races.
• Jeffries "united us all so incredibly well around the vote on the GOP funding bill," Jayapal added. "As long as we continue to do that, it's going to be hard to push back against our House leadership."

Yes, but: Another progressive House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, predicted that progressive primary insurgents could "absolutely" be a problem for Jeffries.

• "People are going to think twice before making commitments to leadership because it's [grassroots frustration with] leadership that motivated them to run," the lawmaker said.
• Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for Justice Democrats — a left-wing group trying to recruit Democratic primary challengers — told Axios there is "massive discontent" with leadership among the grassroots.
• "I think a lot of these primary candidates are likely committed to not believing in this Democratic leadership until this Democratic leadership shows something for itself," Andrabi said.