Will Minnesota Democrats Back Jeffries And Schumer? Where The Delegation Stands

ST. PAUL, MN — With Democrats set to control both chambers of Congress in January, Minnesota's Democratic lawmakers will soon help decide who leads their party in the House and Senate. Not all of them are on the same page.

House Democrats are scheduled to hold their internal leadership elections Nov. 18 and 19. Senate Democrats are expected to pick their leader in early December.

In the House, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York launched his bid for speaker the day after the election in a letter to colleagues. Jeffries needs a simple majority of his caucus to win the nomination and then 218 votes on the House floor in January to claim the gavel, ABC News reported. If elected, he would be the first Black speaker in U.S. history.

Axios reported that Jeffries is not expected to face serious opposition, even though some incoming progressives and Democrats from red districts have declined to commit to him.

Here's where Minnesota's House Democrats stand:

Rep. Betty McCollum (4th District), the dean of Minnesota's delegation, is on board. In a reelection statement released by the Minnesota DFL, McCollum said she's returning to Washington with a Democratic majority ready to "elect Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker."

Reps. Kelly Morrison (3rd District) and Ilhan Omar (5th District) have backed Jeffries before. Both, along with McCollum, voted for him in the January 2025 speaker vote, according to the House Clerk. Jeffries has also publicly defended Omar after federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., home in October.

Congressman-elect Matt Little, who won the open 2nd District seat held by Angie Craig, hasn't said publicly where he stands. Little ran on Medicare for All and holding ICE accountable for its actions in Minnesota, according to MPR News.

In the 1st District, DFLer Jake Johnson leads Republican Rep. Brad Finstad by 323 votes, and Finstad has requested a recount. Before the election, Johnson declined to commit to supporting Jeffries, telling The Washington Sun he wanted to see who was on the ballot.

The Senate is where Minnesota's split is sharpest.

Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan, who will replace the retiring Tina Smith, used her first news conference after winning to call for someone to replace Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Flanagan thanked Schumer for his leadership but said "it is time for new leadership." She didn't name a preferred replacement.

The Associated Press reported this week that Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is weighing a challenge to Schumer, though it's unclear how much support he'd have.

Flanagan told the AP she isn't ready to make any commitments.

Schumer, meanwhile, says he expects to keep his job. He needs only a majority of a Democratic caucus projected at 54 to 56 members, and he appears to have broad support despite opposition from a handful of incoming senators, including Flanagan, Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed and Illinois' Juliana Stratton, The Hill reported.

Minnesota's senior senator, Amy Klobuchar, has been part of Schumer's leadership team since 2024, when Senate Democrats elected her to the No. 3 post in their caucus. But Klobuchar won the governor's race last week and will give up her Senate seat before she's sworn in as governor in January.

She has said she plans to appoint her own replacement.

Klobuchar hasn't said publicly how she would vote in December's leadership election.