11 Democrats miss the Pete Hegseth impeachment vote, it fails to pass by 7 votes: ‘A major Hakeem Jeffries fail’

Anger is rising among Democrats after the House voted to block an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The motion, introduced by Republican Thomas Massie, was voted down 211-204, meaning it failed by just seven votes. Eleven Democrats missed the vote and are now facing fury from their constituents as they try to explain what happened.

The eleven Democrats in question are: Julia Brownley, Lou Correa and Nancy Pelosi of California; Laura Gillen of New York; Steven Horsford of Nevada; Jonathan Jackson of Illinois; Brittany Pettersen of Colorado; Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico; Haley Stevens of Michigan; Marilyn Strickland of Washington; and Frederica Wilson of Florida.

Each of them is facing scrutiny as to why they weren’t there to cast their votes, though Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the House Democratic Caucus and House minority leader, is also facing heavy criticism. Krystal Ball of Breaking Points, described this as a “major Hakeem Jeffries fail” and MeidasTouch’s Pablo Manríquez said, “If the caucus actually showed up to vote tonight, Hegseth would be impeached. This is a serious leadership problem.”

What are their excuses?

Several of the Democrats who missed the vote have taken to social media to explain what happened. For example, Rep. Melanie Stansbury explained she was “blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due to a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus.” Reps. Laura Gillen and Jonathan L. Jackson were apparently caught in the same traffic, with Gillen saying “I would have voted no” if she’d been there and Jackson saying he was stuck behind a bus.

Meanwhile, Pelosi’s office has explained that she missed the vote because she returned to San Francisco to accept a lifetime achievement award. Rep. Brittany Pettersen was a little more cagey, saying she “was denied the ability to vote on this motion” without explaining why she was “denied.” Lou Correa gave a medical excuse, saying that he’s been told to “avoid travel until I’m medically cleared.”

It’s worth noting that Massie’s effort was already a long shot for Hegseth’s actual removal, as impeachment requires a House majority and conviction and removal requires a two-thirds Senate vote (per Senate.gov). But these 11 votes would have forced further votes and potentially a Senate trial process before Democrats take control of Congress in Jan. 2027 (per Daily Beast).

The missing representatives’ excuses haven’t been given much credit by Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who appeared on CNN and delivered a blunt message to his tardy colleagues: “You should show up and do your job.”