Hakeem Jeffries Pushes to Lock Down House Speakership, With No Challenger Emerging

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, is pressing to wrap up his nomination to be speaker next week quickly and overwhelmingly, leaving potential detractors little room to maneuver around him even as some of them complain about an undemocratic process.

His allies this week began asking Democrats to sign a letter publicly signaling their backing for Mr. Jeffries ahead of the House Democrats’ closed-door leadership elections on Wednesday. Some of them think he deserves to be elected unanimously during that session, bypassing a vote by secret ballot that would give any dissenters a chance to register opposition. It would be a show of overwhelming unity and support, although Mr. Jeffries has not yet indicated whether he is seeking it.

But his allies are soliciting group endorsements to lock in backing from large factions, effectively shutting down any conversation about other options in an implicit sign that his nomination is inevitable. The New Democrat Coalition, a group of 114 center-left House Democrats and at least 40 members-elect, issued one such statement in support of Mr. Jeffries this week.

Mr. Jeffries has been meeting privately both with incumbents and new members to make his case, although he has yet to reach out to every newly elected member of the House. He is set next week to attend the Congressional Progressive Caucus board meeting, according to two people familiar with the plans, and his goal is to be in direct contact with every member by Wednesday.