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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s left flank.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Only 24 respondents said they would definitely back Jeffries, and seven more said they were likely to do so, the outlet said.<\/p>\n
However, his office pushed back on the narrative that he\u2019s lost support.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeader Jeffries is focused on battling Donald Trump, ending the Republican shutdown of the federal government and addressing the crushing GOP health care crisis,\u201d Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol told Axios.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 inquiries. Still, a number of Jeffries\u2019 critics and noncommittal candidates have credible paths to winning seats in Congress.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Other prominent challengers \u2014 including Luke Bronin, Donavan McKinney, Mai Vang, Saikat Chakrabarti, and Patrick Roath \u2014 have also withheld their support. Each is running well-funded campaigns aimed at unseating long-serving Democratic incumbents.<\/p>\n
Heath Howard, a New Hampshire state representative running for an open U.S. House seat, told Axios regarding the Democratic leader: \u201cI think we need to have a new type of leadership that\u2019s \u2026 going to fight back significantly harder against the Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abughazaleh, meanwhile, told Axios she will support a leader who is \u201ctaking actual action against this administration\u201d and that the left should use \u201cour leverage to demand progressive change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to see improvement, without question,\u201d Amanda Edwards, who was a member of the Houston city council and is now running in a Texas special election, told the outlet.<\/p>\n
Harry Jarin, a firefighter mounting a primary challenge to former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), told Axios: \u201cThe anger of the base right now is not being matched by Democratic leadership \u2026 and that is going to have to change one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n
A recurring theme among candidates who declined to back Jeffries was his refusal to endorse socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani \u2014 a decision that has also become a source of frustration among left-wing members of Congress.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis 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,\u201d noted Jacob Lawrence, who is set to challenged Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.).<\/p>\n
Chakrabarti, when asked whether he would support for Jeffries, quipped: \u201cWhat is it that Hakeem said about endorsing Zohran? \u2018I\u2019ll have conversations with him and see where it goes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/centaursystem14th.com\/vdov_img\/uhYcJDfkMx_img.jpg\")
\u2026a 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.<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s grip on my hand tightened. \u201cWe need to leave. Now,\u201d he whispered urgently, his voice barely audible over the growing murmur of confusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d I asked, bewildered, my eyes darting between Robert\u2019s tense expression and the scene unfolding in front of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll explain in the car,\u201d he replied, his eyes scanning the room intently.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t sure what reassurance I could offer.<\/p>\n
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\u2014and the wedding\u2014far behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really didn\u2019t notice?\u201d Robert eventually broke the silence, his tone a mix of disbelief and concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cNotice what?\u201d I pressed, my curiosity piqued and frustration mounting<\/p>\n
The man who interrupted\u2026 he\u2019s a private investigator,\u201d Robert said, his voice tinged with an emotion I couldn\u2019t quite place. \u201cHe\u2019s been looking into David for some time now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking into him? Why?\u201d I asked, dread creeping into my voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid isn\u2019t who he claims to be,\u201d Robert replied, his words hanging heavy in the air. \u201cHe\u2019s been involved in a series of financial scams. The investigator had gathered evidence linking him to fraudulent activities across several states.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they seemed so in love,\u201d I protested weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the troubling part,\u201d Robert admitted, his voice softening. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s genuinely in love with her, but the investigator had enough evidence to suggest otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t