Jeffries Formally Seeks Speaker's Gavel as Democrats Reach 240 House Seats With Dozens of Races Uncalled

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., formally asked his caucus on Wednesday, Nov. 4, to make him the next Speaker of the House. The letter came one day after Democrats flipped the House and the Senate.

"I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives," Jeffries wrote.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California stood beside him at a press conference. Both signaled they will run for the No. 2 and No. 3 jobs. Clark is expected to become majority leader and Aguilar majority whip.

The numbers so far

CNN projected Wednesday afternoon that Democrats had reached 240 House seats, with dozens of races still uncalled. Jeffries told reporters he expects at least 255 once the counting ends. Control of the chamber takes 218.

The Senate is lopsided too. Democrats have won 54 seats, flipping seven that Republicans held. Alaska and Mississippi remain uncalled.

In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith are separated by 65 votes, according to ABC's tally of 462,857 to 462,792. In Alaska, with 74% of the expected vote in, Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Dan Sullivan 48.2% to 47.9%. CNN reports final results in either race could take days or weeks.

The damage to Republicans reached the party's own campaign chief. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Wednesday he called Democrat Richard Ojeda to concede in North Carolina's 9th District. CBS News has not projected the race but rates it likely Democratic. Hudson won reelection by 18.5 points in 2024.

What Jeffries says he will do

Jeffries called the results "an American tsunami" and said Americans "have chosen common sense over corruption, chaos and cruelty." He framed the mandate narrowly. "We ran on affordability. We won on affordability. And now it's our job to govern on affordability," he said on MS NOW's "Morning Joe."

His letter lists the early targets:

• Reverse Medicaid and SNAP cuts enacted in President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
• Extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that expired at the start of this year.
• Roll back Trump's tariffs.
• End the war in Iran.

He wrote that Democrats will "try to find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible." He also wrote: "Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to lower costs on Day One. They failed."

The letter is not all olive branch. Jeffries wrote that "the days of the House functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump Administration are over." He blamed "the Trump Cartel" for the lack of help for everyday Americans and said, "We are going to hold the crooks accountable."

On television he said voters want results, not payback. In the letter he promises accountability. Those two messages will have to be squared in practice, and the oversight agenda will show how.

Oversight is coming, and Republicans are blaming the war

CNN reports that multiple current and former officials say the Department of Homeland Security is bracing for aggressive oversight, particularly into the tenure of former Secretary Kristi Noem.

On the Republican side, Trump said Wednesday it was "largely true" that the Iran war contributed to the GOP's losses, echoing remarks from Vice President JD Vance. That puts the president and his number two on record tying the election to a war that Jeffries's letter singles out as a failure of cost-of-living promises.

Trump has threatened to use his veto on legislation he opposes. Democrats may struggle to enact new laws even with big majorities, Al Jazeera notes. Jeffries pointed to a bipartisan housing affordability bill passed in July as a model. It became law without Trump's signature after he dismissed it as "a yawn" and "so unimportant."

The caucus and the history

Jeffries, 56, is a Brooklyn native who has served in Congress since 2013 and led House Democrats for the past four years, after Nancy Pelosi stepped aside following the 2022 losses. If elected, he would be the first Black speaker. He would take the gavel from Republican Mike Johnson.

His new majority is not uniform. Democratic socialist Angela Gonzales-Torres ousted Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez in California's 34th District, CBS News projected. The race was a Democrat-versus-Democrat matchup under California's top-two system. The House Ethics Committee had been investigating sexual misconduct allegations against Gomez. He acknowledged he "made personal mistakes outside my marriage" and said his actions were consensual in nature. Progressive William Lawrence also beat one-term Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th District, CBS projected.

Wall Street had its own reaction Wednesday. The Dow rose 1,569 points, or 3%, its best day since April 2025 and its largest post-midterm single-day gain since 1982, according to CFRA Research data cited by CNN. The S&P 500 rose 1.58% and the Nasdaq 1.44%.

What comes next

The full House votes on a speaker when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. Jeffries is widely expected to win given the size of the majority. Before then, House Democrats will hold internal leadership elections. ABC News reports they are set for Nov. 18, while CBS News reports they are scheduled for Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, and Fox News reports mid-December. The Alaska and Mississippi Senate races will remain open until the count is finished.