Rep.-elect Melat Kiros, a Democrat from Colorado, declined to commit to backing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-NY) bid for speaker during an event in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
Kiros, speaking during a panel at CrookedCon, said her vote is “something that’s still up in the air right now,” and that she looks forward to continuing conversations with leadership about her support.
“We have a mandate of the people right now,” Kiros said. “We cannot squander this. There has to be a bold agenda that we put forward.”
Kiros explained during the panel that she feels Tuesday’s elections were not a “mandate” for any wing of the party, but instead showed that “populist politics won.”
The incoming freshman Democrat said that while she would be honored to vote to elect the first Black speaker of the House, it “has to mean something” for American workers and the black community.
“I’ve not been sold just yet that there is a bold agenda,” Kiros said.
The Colorado Democrat outlined several legislative priorities, including Medicare for all, a data center moratorium, an end to military sales to Israel, and an end to the war in Iran.
“These are again all popular things,” Kiros said. “And to be clear, my demand is not that Leader Jeffries specifically supports these things himself, right? My demand is that he lets us vote on it.”
CONGRESSIONAL DEMS PROMISE TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Jeffries formally launched his bid for speaker in the 120th session of Congress earlier this week. The minority leader has worked to shore up support for his leadership among incoming members, having ongoing conversations with Democratic candidates who have withheld their support.
He would be the first black speaker in U.S. history and the first Democratic speaker since Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) last held the gavel in 2022.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
