Jeffries Losing Support, Dozens of Dems Won’t Commit To Backing Him

Dozens of Democratic candidates running for U.S. House seats have told Axios they either won’t back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries or aren’t ready to commit to supporting him, signaling unease within parts of the party ahead of the 2026 elections.

Since taking over as Democratic leader in 2022, Jeffries has enjoyed full caucus support — but that unity could face challenges next Congress as frustration grows among grassroots and progressive members.

While Senate leader Chuck Schumer has often been the target of criticism from the left, Jeffries is now facing similar scrutiny. Axios reached out to nearly every Democrat running in competitive districts and received 113 responses.

Of those, 20 said they would not vote for Jeffries as leader, five said they were likely to oppose him, and 57 declined to commit — citing ideological, strategic, or leadership concerns. Only 24 said they would definitely support him, while seven were leaning in his favor.

Jeffries’ spokesperson pushed back, saying the leader remains focused on “battling Donald Trump, ending the Republican shutdown, and addressing the GOP’s health care crisis.”

Many of the skeptical candidates are outsiders or long shots, but some credible contenders — including Daniel Biss, Kat Abughazaleh, Luke Bronin, Donavan McKinney, and Saikat Chakrabarti — also withheld support.

Several cited Jeffries’ refusal to endorse socialist New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani as a key concern, with candidates like Jacob Lawrence and Chakrabarti suggesting it reflects a broader disconnect between party leadership and its progressive base.