Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) skated to victory in New York City on Tuesday, Decision Desk HQ projects, easily beating back a symbolic challenge from Republican John Delaney in a race that was never a contest.
The big question surrounding Jeffries this cycle was never whether he’d win a seventh term, but whether the Democrats will flip control of the lower chamber and put him in position to become the first Black Speaker in the history of the country — a question that remains unanswered Tuesday evening as dozens of battleground races across the map have yet to be called.
Jeffries’s ascent within the party has been meteoric since he arrived on Capitol Hill in 2013. Within six years, he rose to become chair of the House Democratic Caucus, defeating the more senior Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in a race that marked a symbolic step in the generational shift among the party’s top brass.
Four years later, Jeffries jumped into the top leadership spot, replacing former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who stepped out of power after two decades as the chief House Democrat. It was a monumental shift, and Pelosi — who made history by becoming the first female Speaker in U.S. history — greased the skids for Jeffries to succeed her, jumping over more senior Democrats in the process. In that leap, he made history himself, becoming the first Black lawmaker to lead either party in Congress.
Jeffries’s leadership style has been consistent. He is quick to reach out to GOP leaders in search of bipartisan compromise across a spectrum of issues. He’s also been a fierce advocate of civil rights and economic justice — one who’s more than willing to battle with Republicans when differences emerge.
He’s also been among Trump’s most vocal critics. Jeffries was one of the seven Democrats chosen by Pelosi to manage Trump’s first impeachment, which charged the 45th president of leveraging U.S. military aid to pressure a foreign leader to investigate political rivals.
Since the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, those criticisms have gotten only louder. And Jeffries has been scathing in denouncing both Trump and his GOP allies in the Capitol for threatening the country’s foundational democratic traditions.
If Democrats do flip the House on Tuesday night, Jeffries is in a position to take much of the credit. He’s been a prodigious fundraiser throughout the cycle, raising tens of millions of dollars for the party, and a tireless campaigner, stumping in battleground districts from coast to coast.
