Nov 6, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Hakeem Jeffries becomes "deflated" Democrats' last hope

Andrew Solender

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a blue suit and speaking into microphones. — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaking to the press in Hempstead, N.Y. on Oct. 17, 2024. Photo: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Democrats are turning to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as their last hope for stopping a Trump-led Republican trifecta in Washington.

Why it matters: The party is reeling from a stunning wipeout in the Senate and the former president is closing in on the White House, with the race for the House on a knife's edge.

"Nauseous" is how one senior House Democrat summed up the mood of the party to Axios.
"Deflated," is how Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) described it.

State of play: House Democrats and Republicans each appear poised to flip a handful of seats, making the battle for control of the House a pure toss-up going into Wednesday morning.

Democrats are on track to flip several seats in New York.
Republicans, for their part, appear poised to capture Democratic seats in the Blue Wall states of Pennsylvania and Michigan.

What to watch: The outcome is likely to hinge on races in a handful of Western states that could take days or even weeks to call, such as Alaska and California.

"Still gonna take a few days for some races in CA," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios, while expressing confidence about the outcome.

The bottom line: House Democrats are emerging as the potential "thin blue line" against total GOP control, said Huffman.

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Hakeem Jeffries becomes "deflated" Democrats' last hope

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