As Democrats deal with the prospect of losing the House and Senate to Republicans, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is in for a new wave of criticism.
There are reports of progressive Democrats lopping blame onto him for failing to capture the House majority and not forcing President Joe Biden out of the race earlier.
One lawmaker told Axios that former Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had to do “the work” of forcing Biden off the Democratic ticket to make way for Vice President Kamala Harris. Another anonymous Democratic lawmaker said, “We picked up Biden seats … so I don’t think it’s something for us to claim as some enormous win,” in a criticism seemingly pointed at Jeffries.
But Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) denied Jeffries has lost support among House Democrats, calling him a “very powerful leader.”
Jeffries has acknowledged there are problems within the party, though he steered away from taking accountability for the likely loss of the House.
“We’re going to have a family conversation that needs to be clear-eyed, candid and comprehensive to figure out what happened on election night,” Jeffries told CBS News.
He added that “the American people have spoken” and the party has to “work with the incoming administration whenever and wherever possible, and strongly disagree when necessary, and that’s going to be the approach that we take.”
Some Democrats blamed the electoral defeat on what stance the party has taken when it comes to working-class voters. Others pointed to a hard-line approach to supporting transgender boys and men participating in women’s sports.
Jeffries acknowledged a “setback” for House Democrats but hasn’t yet pointed to a specific cause.
Democrats had hoped to make Jeffries the next House speaker, but as Republicans creep closer to retaining their slim majority, he is more likely to retain his role as minority leader.
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While Republicans are favored to win the House, the majority hasn’t been called for them yet. The Associated Press has called 216 seats for Republicans and 207 for Democrats. One party needs to control 218 seats for a majority, and 12 races have yet to be called.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is expected to keep his job as Republicans gear up for their leadership elections, though he might have to fend off at least one challenger.
