More than a week after the general election, Republicans have cemented their majority in the House of Representatives — meaning Republicans will control the House, the Senate, and the presidency — and Brooklyn congress member Hakeem Jeffries has reportedly taken the blame.
Jeffries, has represented parts of south and Central Brooklyn in Congress since 2013 and last year was elected House Minority Leader, was poised to become the first Black House Speaker if Democrats had taken back the majority. But, on Wednesday, Republican Juan Ciscomani won re-election in a critical Arizona district, cementing the party’s hold on the lower chamber. Several House races still have not been called, but Democrats will not have enough seats to make up the deficit.
In a statement, Jeffries said House Democrats had “overperformed” in an election that saw massive wins for the Republican party. At least 27 of the party’s 31 “frontline” incumbents were re-elected, he said, and the party held on in competitive races and flipped at least eight districts.
“House Democrats gave it our all, running aggressive, forward-looking and people-centered campaigns,” he said. “While we will not regain control of the Congress in January, falling just a few seats short, House Democrats will hold Republicans to a razor-thin majority. That is unprecedented in a so-called presidential wave election.”
Democrats flipped three districts in New York — NY-19, NY-22 upstate, and NY-4 on Long Island, unseating three Republican incumbents. The party lost in NY-1, another critical district, where Jeffries personally supported Democratic challenger John Avlon — who was defeated by more than 100,000 votes.
With full control of Congress, Republicans have said they plan to aggressively pursue Trump’s political agenda. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday outlined that agenda — speaking in support of border closures, an “end to wokeness and radical gender ideology,” and lower grocery and gas prices.
“This leadership will hit the ground running to deliver President Trump’s agenda and the 119th Congress, and we will work closely with him and his administration to turn this country around and unleash, as he says, a new golden age in America,” Johnson said. “That’s not a campaign slogan. We believe that that is true. We believe in our hearts that America’s best days are ahead of us, and we’re excited to deliver upon that promise. The only way we’re able to work quickly is because we have unified control of the Congress, both chambers now and the White House, beginning January.”
Trump’s cabinet appointments have slightly complicated Republicans’ majority in the House. Thus far, the president-elected has chosen two Republican congress members to serve in his cabinet: Elise Stefanik, from northern New York as the U.N. Ambassador, and Matt Gaetz, of Florida, as the Attorney General. Both nominations require Senate confirmation, but Gaetz has already resigned from his position in Congress. Both districts, however, are safely Republican, and likely to remain that way if special elections are called.
Some Democrats are blaming Jeffries for party’s losses, per Axios, but pushed back on assertions that he was fully responsible for the outcome.
“Moving forward, House Democrats will engage in a clear-eyed, candid and comprehensive family conversation about how and where to build upon the foundation that has been laid and improve on our efforts,” Jeffries said. “In the new Congress, House Democrats will continue to seek bipartisan common ground on any issue, whenever and wherever possible, to make life better for the American people, while pushing back against far right extremism whenever necessary.
