Hakeem Jeffries is closer than ever to the speaker’s gavel. Is he ready?

Six candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and progressives have declined to back Jeffries, including New York’s Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, as well as New Jersey’s Adam Hamawy.The holdouts could pose an obstacle to Jeffries in the speaker race, especially if Democrats hold a narrow majority similar to that of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Jeffries has worked to shore up support for his leadership among incoming members, holding conversations with candidates poised to join the House in January after winning in deep-blue districts.A Democratic operative told the Washington Examiner that they expect Jeffries to hold the gavel next session of Congress.“He’s going to become speaker because he’s led the charge to win the House, and he’s done so against a backdrop where the president and Republicans tried to rewrite the maps,” the operative said. “He’s led a big, diverse caucus through an incredible set of obstacles and hurdles, and driven a message that the American people connect with, and has an agenda that people connect with too, which is lower costs.”Jeffries would be the first black speaker in U.S. history and the first Democratic speaker since Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) last held the gavel in 2022. Pelosi cultivated a reputation for ironclad party discipline and for being able to keep her party in line on difficult votes.Jeffries has yet to govern a House majority, leaving questions about what kind of speaker he will be if Democrats reclaim control in November. But his leadership has already faced significant tests.Two centrist Democrats recently bucked Jeffries and sided with Republicans to force difficult House votes, including one condemning socialism. The episode offered a glimpse of the challenges Jeffries could face in managing a Democratic majority and how he might handle it.Yet, Jeffries has not moved quickly to punish the two members, Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME), who is retiring, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA). Instead, he has tapped the Democratic Committee on Caucus Rules to review the matter and told reporters he would not “get out ahead of that process.”The saga opened Jeffries up for criticism from his left flank, with Emma Vigeland, a DSA member and the co-host of the progressive Majority Report, saying after the vote that Pelosi was “no leftist, but she could whip her caucus.”Jim Kessler, a former staffer for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and executive vice president of policy at the center-left Third Way, told the Washington Examiner that “Pelosi was revered and feared. But that didn’t happen right away. It took time.”“I think House Democrats are looking for a different type of leadership that is less reliant on seniority and less top-down,” Kessler said.Pelosi told Politico at the time she was shocked the two Democrats broke ranks, saying when she was speaker, “We didn’t even consider that anybody would do that. We never had that problem, so I’m disappointed that they did that.”Still, despite chatter over whether Jeffries will be able to corral the Democratic caucus, supporters in his camp maintain he will be an effective majority leader.Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile wrote in an op-ed published on Oct. 5 that Jeffries will be “able to corral the votes of both democratic socialists and mainstream House Democrats to pass smart legislation.”“Although mainstream Democrats don’t support the most extreme policies of democratic socialists, the socialists support many Democratic policy priorities,” Brazile wrote. “This will encourage the two groups to work together.”2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS, AND ANALYSISThe Democratic operative told the Washington Examiner that Pelosi is “absolutely” an icon, but that Jeffries is a “trailblazer.”“Look, it’s a tough, big caucus with a whole bunch of ideas, and yet he’s led them with a unified message that’s put the party in position to take control of the House and put a real check on the president,” the operative said.