CHICAGO – House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has a good story to tell in his first election cycle as Democratic leader.
The DCCC, which Jeffries controls, has been drubbing the NRCC on the fundraising front. Democrats have outraised Republicans for six consecutive quarters. In other words, every quarter since Jeffries has become the top House Democrat, he has raised more money than Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans — a fact that’s not lost on the GOP.
“They’re in the majority,” Jeffries told us Thursday, almost incredulously.
House Majority PAC, the super PAC supporting House Democrats, has shattered its own fundraising record as well. HMP still has less cash on hand than the Congressional Leadership Fund, its GOP counterpart. But Jeffries thinks CLF will no longer be able to “overwhelm” Democratic candidates with negative ads as Election Day approaches.
And Jeffries said during an interview in a hotel conference room overlooking the Chicago River that he’s confident Republicans won’t be able to defeat any Democratic incumbents this year.
“It’s clear that all of these so-called opportunities that Republicans thought they might have to go on offense have all but disappeared,” Jeffries asserted.
Let’s be clear. We’ve seen congressional leaders make overly rosy predictions in the past. In 2010, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi maintained she wasn’t going to lose the House up until Election Night. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy had his nonexistent “red wave” last cycle, while House Democrats incorrectly expected big gains in 2020. We have another 74 days until Election Day. A lot can change.
This bold talk is unusual for Jeffries, normally one of the most cautious pols we’ve covered. But there’s ample evidence that Jeffries could be on the brink of making history as the first Black speaker of the House. During this week’s Democratic convention, the New York Democrat claimed his party is in the “red zone” and on the “five-yard line” of the majority.
Jeffries vowed that the five Democratic incumbents that Republicans are targeting — Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Mary Peltola (Alaska), Jared Golden (Maine) and Matt Cartwright (Pa.) — will have “the resources necessary” to win.
Jeffries reiterated that California and his native New York hold the key to Democrats taking back the majority. As evidence that things look good, Jeffries noted that the seats Democrats need to win in California and New York voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. Jeffries said he believes those voters will come Democrats’ way — especially with Vice President Kamala Harris atop the ticket. Remember, Democrats only need to flip four seats.
Jeffries pointed out that Democrats have already flipped a seat in a special election this cycle when Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) beat Republican Mazi Pilip after former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) resigned from Congress. We reminded him that Republican turnout was likely depressed after Santos was indicted, and Democrats have to run against seasoned candidates like Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in the New York suburbs in November.
“Candidates like Mike Lawler don’t scare us,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries said it’s a bit too early to know whether Harris is providing a big bump for candidates nationwide, because many Democrats decided to wait for the convention to end to poll their districts. But he said the gathering in Chicago has been “well received … across the country.”
“It turns out that watching Hulk Hogan is not as appealing as seeing actual everyday Americans and public servants articulate a vision for building a brighter day and future for the future for the American people,” Jeffries said.
— Jake Sherman
