Dozens of Democratic candidates running for U.S. House seats nationwide told Axios they either would not support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for party leader or were not prepared to commit to voting for him.
The responses suggest growing unease within some parts of the Democratic Party about its current leadership as the 2026 election cycle approaches, the outlet reported this week.
Since assuming the role of Democratic leader in 2022, Hakeem Jeffries has maintained unanimous support within his caucus. That unity, however, may be tested in the next Congress amid rising frustration from grassroots activists, particularly on the party’s left flank.
While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has drawn much of the criticism from progressive circles this year, Jeffries is increasingly becoming a focal point of dissatisfaction as well, Axios noted.
Axios contacted nearly every Democrat running for a U.S. House seat considered potentially winnable for the party in 2026, receiving responses from 113 candidates through phone interviews or written statements.
Of those surveyed, 20 said they would not vote for Hakeem Jeffries as speaker or minority leader, while another five indicated they were likely to oppose him. Fifty-seven candidates declined to commit to supporting Jeffries, describing it as too early to decide or citing concerns over ideology, strategy, messaging, or leadership style.
Only 24 respondents said they would definitely back Jeffries, and seven more said they were likely to do so, the outlet said.
However, his office pushed back on the narrative that he’s lost support.
“Leader Jeffries is focused on battling Donald Trump, ending the Republican shutdown of the federal government and addressing the crushing GOP health care crisis,” Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol told Axios.
Many of the Democrats expressing skepticism toward Hakeem Jeffries are political outsiders or long-shot candidates, while several front-runners in key battleground races declined to respond to Axios’ inquiries. Still, a number of Jeffries’ critics and noncommittal candidates have credible paths to winning seats in Congress.
Among them are Daniel Biss and Kat Abughazaleh, two leading contenders in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), both of whom stopped short of pledging to support Jeffries.
Other prominent challengers — including Luke Bronin, Donavan McKinney, Mai Vang, Saikat Chakrabarti, and Patrick Roath — have also withheld their support. Each is running well-funded campaigns aimed at unseating long-serving Democratic incumbents.
Heath Howard, a New Hampshire state representative running for an open U.S. House seat, told Axios regarding the Democratic leader: “I think we need to have a new type of leadership that’s … going to fight back significantly harder against the Trump administration.”
Abughazaleh, meanwhile, told Axios she will support a leader who is “taking actual action against this administration” and that the left should use “our leverage to demand progressive change.”
“We’ve got to see improvement, without question,” Amanda Edwards, who was a member of the Houston city council and is now running in a Texas special election, told the outlet.
Harry Jarin, a firefighter mounting a primary challenge to former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), told Axios: “The anger of the base right now is not being matched by Democratic leadership … and that is going to have to change one way or another.”
A recurring theme among candidates who declined to back Jeffries was his refusal to endorse socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — a decision that has also become a source of frustration among left-wing members of Congress.
“His refusal to endorse Zohran makes me nervous that, if I were to become the nominee in my race, he and the party would not support me,” noted Jacob Lawrence, who is set to challenged Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.).
Chakrabarti, when asked whether he would support for Jeffries, quipped: “What is it that Hakeem said about endorsing Zohran? ‘I’ll have conversations with him and see where it goes.’”
…a sudden, unexpected commotion erupted at the far end of the ballroom. The clinking of cutlery paused, and a ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. I turned my head just in time to see a familiar face, a man wearing an odd mix of a suit jacket over a casual t-shirt, striding confidently towards the head table. His demeanor was strikingly out of place in the formal setting.
Robert’s grip on my hand tightened. “We need to leave. Now,” he whispered urgently, his voice barely audible over the growing murmur of confusion.
“What’s going on?” I asked, bewildered, my eyes darting between Robert’s tense expression and the scene unfolding in front of us.
“I’ll explain in the car,” he replied, his eyes scanning the room intently.
We stood, attempting to make a discreet exit amidst the rising chatter. Jessica caught my eye, her smile wavering as she noticed the disruption. I shot her a reassuring look, though I wasn’t sure what reassurance I could offer.
In the car, silence enveloped us like a thick fog. My heart raced with unanswered questions as Robert drove through the winding streets, leaving the hotel—and the wedding—far behind.
“You really didn’t notice?” Robert eventually broke the silence, his tone a mix of disbelief and concern.
“Notice what?” I pressed, my curiosity piqued and frustration mounting
The man who interrupted… he’s a private investigator,” Robert said, his voice tinged with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “He’s been looking into David for some time now.”
“Looking into him? Why?” I asked, dread creeping into my voice.
“David isn’t who he claims to be,” Robert replied, his words hanging heavy in the air. “He’s been involved in a series of financial scams. The investigator had gathered evidence linking him to fraudulent activities across several states.”
The revelation hit me like a punch to the gut. My mind raced back to every interaction with David, searching for signs I might have missed. I thought of Jessica, my sister, standing at the altar with a man who might not be the person she believed him to be.
“But they seemed so in love,” I protested weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.
“That’s the troubling part,” Robert admitted, his voice softening. “Maybe he’s genuinely in love with her, but the investigator had enough evidence to suggest otherwise.”