Be careful, even if the hype surrounds him

MINNEAPOLIS — We spent some time with the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries over the weekend during stops here and in Milwaukee as the New York Democrat tries to lead his colleagues to power.

Everywhere he goes, Jeffries is introduced as the next speaker.

“I didn’t know until then “I learned that I would have the privilege of introducing our future speaker here this evening,” said Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) gushed as she appeared for Jeffries at a Friday night dinner celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP's Milwaukee chapter.

the next day at a promotional event outside of Minneapolis, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) — a frontliner representing a D+1 district — enthusiastically greeted Jeffries as “Mr. Future Speaker” in front of around 100 of her supporters.

But the ever-cautious Jeffries will not guarantee a democratic victory, no matter how many times you ask him.

“We are in a strong position “To be successful, there are close races all over the country,” Jeffries said in an interview before the Craig event. “We don’t take anything for granted.”

Jeffries flashed Swing counties last week, including in the Midwest. On Thursday, Jeffries was in Long Island, NY Laura Gillen, Who will challenge the embattled GOP representative? Anthony D'Esposito. On Friday, Jeffries attended a fundraiser for Democratic candidates in Milwaukee Rebecca Cooke And Peter Barca. NBA legend Doc Rivers was there. On Saturday, Jeffries got the crowd pumped up for Craig. Then we went to Nebraska, where the Democrats were Tony Vargas has a good chance of unseating the Republican representative. Don Bacon. This is followed by a trip to New Hampshire Maggie Goodlander.

For 54-year-old Jeffries This is an extremely important moment. Jeffries – along with Minority Whip Katherine Clark and chairman of the Democratic caucus Pete Aguilar, also known as “The New Three” – replaced the icon Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer And Jim Clyburn at the beginning of this congress. There were big questions about how Jeffries would perform in fundraising — Pelosi's raison d'être — and whether he would do deals with a brand new GOP majority.

The DCCC failed the NRCC for fundraising (see below), although the Congressional Leadership Fund – the super PAC allied with the Republican leadership – has kept the GOP in the money game.

And the House GOP majority was one of the least productive in history. Hardliner conservatives overthrown Kevin McCarthy as speaker in October 2023. Then the Democrats had to save the speaker Mike Johnson after another uproar from the right over Ukraine aid.

Pretty much anything significant The Republicans' passage in the House of Representatives this Congress happened because either Democrats provided the majority of votes – government funding and the debt limit – or there was a bipartisan agreement that won Democratic support, such as the prospective ban on TikTok and the reauthorization by the FAA.

The historical level Republican inaction and infighting should put Democrats in an ideal position to win the House. Everything is fine for her. But thanks to redistricting and a deeply divided country, only a few dozen House seats are actually in play. That means the majority will be crushed in a series of political stabbings from coast to coast, including in Jeffries' home state of New York.

Is Jeffries worried? about a backlash if the Democrats don't win the House of Representatives, especially since the path to the majority leads through New York?

“Our goal is to win back the House of Representatives. We will save the autopsy until after the election,” Jeffries said. Jeffries predicted that Democrats could win at least two of the seats they are seeking in New York.

But what if the Democrats… Win the House of Representatives and the former president Donald Trump is back in the Oval Office? Unlikely, but possible. And remember: Jeffries was one of the House managers at Trump's second Senate impeachment trial following the January 6 insurrection.

“Without commenting “As to the hypothetical nature of a possible Trump presidency, our position as Democrats in the House of Representatives has always been that we will find bipartisan common ground with Republicans on every issue, wherever and whenever possible “The lives of the American people will be better,” Jeffries said. “We will stand up for traditional American values, not Trump values.”

We also asked Jeffries about Trump's increasingly erratic behavior, an issue that has plagued Vice President Kamala Harris made an important part of her closing argument when she sought to become the first woman president.

“Donald Trump is a threat to traditional American values ​​and the American way of life,” Jeffries said. “It is clear to me that a Trump presidency does not mean a return to normality. It is a return to chaos, dysfunction and extremism, every single day of our lives, for four years. This is a disaster.”

And yet they exist Another big challenge for Harris, Jeffries and the Democrats – black men who support Trump. As the highest-ranking Black man in Congress seeking to make history as the first Black speaker, this is a key issue for Jeffries. He discussed this in detail in his Milwaukee speech.

“Vice President Harris “has articulated a clear agenda focused on the economic well-being of Black, Latino and working-class men, in addition to the “opportunity agenda” she has articulated as part of her campaign,” Jeffries added.

We will have more from our interview with Jeffries in the Midday Edition, including the status of his relationship with the president Joe Biden, Project 2025 and other topics.