The key facts

  • The Change.org petition had gathered 1,012,125 signatures by Saturday, up from about 600,000 the day before
  • The petition was created by Nicole Whitted and launched on September 3
  • According to Axios, one Democrat received about 150 calls, another more than 500 over two days

Petition surpasses one million signatures

More than a million people have signed an online petition urging House Democrats to vote against Hakeem Jeffries for speaker when the new Congress convenes in January 2027. As Anadolu reports, the petition, launched on September 3 on Change.org by Nicole Whitted, had gathered 1,012,125 signatures by Saturday — a notable increase from the more than 600,000 signatures recorded on Friday.

What the campaign's authors are demanding

The campaign calls on every member of the incoming 120th Congress to reject Jeffries, the current Democratic leader in the House, and to consider another contender for the speaker's post. 'Democrats deserve a choice,' the petition states; its authors insist on a competitive election rather than having party leadership pre-determine the outcome. The text argues that the speaker should represent Democratic voters, not simply the party establishment, and urges lawmakers to carefully examine Jeffries's public record, his political positions, campaign donors and leadership style before voting. The petition also encourages other House Democrats to put forward their own candidacies, emphasizing that the decision should remain open to alternatives.

Calls to members of Congress

Separately, Axios reported on Saturday that sitting and incoming Democratic members of the House have been receiving hundreds of calls since the midterm elections demanding that Jeffries not be elected: the outlet notes that he faces 'ongoing skepticism and hesitancy' from future members of Congress. According to one incoming House Democrat, he is receiving calls from 'about 150' people, while another senior Democrat said he had received 'more than 500' calls over the past two days. Thus, in addition to the petition itself, there is a second channel of pressure — direct appeals from voters to lawmakers, which a separate outlet has reported on.