Will Shah and Mendoza Vote for Jeffries as House Majority Leader?

A week after Democrats retook the House and Senate in a substantial midterm election, intrigue about Democratic leadership is already swirling. Will the newly elected Dr. Amish Shah (D-AZ) and JoAnna Mendoza (D-AZ) vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to be Speaker of the House?

The State of the Democratic Party

Several new Democrats in the House have not committed to Rep. Jeffries as Speaker, citing discontent within the Party over his priorities and policy positions.

The day after the midterms, Rep. Jeffries suggested that the Democrats under his leadership would focus on addressing affordability rather than what he called "getting even" with President Donald Trump.

"The American people don't want us to get even; they want us to get things done on their behalf because life is way too expensive," the New York congressman told MSNOW, adding, "We ran on affordability. We won on affordability, and now it's our job to govern on affordability."

Such a direction painted a different picture than what more progressive Democrats were saying, as numerous posts telling Trump Administration officials to "lawyer up" and prepare for investigations flooded social media, making Jeffries the subject of criticism.

Where Do Shah and Mendoza Stand?

Shah and Mendoza have not yet commented on the Speaker vote, although Shah was highlighted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in July for refusing to give a firm answer on the topic last October.

The NRCC noted that Washington Democrats led fundraising efforts against Shah during the primaries, and when he won, Jeffries had to throw his support behind Shah.

Similarly, Mendoza refused to answer the question during an interview with Arizona's Family.

"Amish Shah and JoAnna Mendoza told Arizonans they would refuse to back the same-old politics in Washington, so will they do that or will they go back on their word?" speculated Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman Nick Poche, adding, "Arizonans deserve to know if the first thing they do in Congress is breaking their promise by voting for Jefferies.