Amid GOP House members' speaker search, Democrats say need only 5 Republicans to elect Democrat

Democrats say they need only 5 House Republican votes to get Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries elected as speaker, in "bipartisan path forward"

By Nicholas Ballasy

Published: October 13, 2023 1:12pm

Updated: October 13, 2023 1:13pm

Democratic are seizing upon the House Republicans' disarray in trying to elect a speaker by suggesting they join force to elected a Democrat as speaker in the GOP-controlled chamber as a "bipartisan path forward."

On Wednesday evening, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on "traditional Republicans" to "break with the extremists" in the House GOP conference and "partner with Democrats on a bipartisan path forward."

"The House Republican Civil War continues to paralyze Congress. A bipartisan path forward is the only way out," he wrote on X earlier on Wednesday.

Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have pointed out that Jeffries has 212 votes from Democrats, who are in unison in their choice to elect him their leader.

Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X that "it seems much more realistic for 5 Republican members in Biden districts to vote Jeffries" than it is for any GOP candidate to reach 217 votes from only Republicans.