Jeffries stops short of endorsing one of his members in rare move
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Debbie Wasserman Schultz at a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2025. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday he has not yet decided whether to support Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-Fla.) reelection amid anger over her decision to run in a majority-minority district.
Why it matters: Jeffries is known for uniformly backing even his most polarizing members. This rare deviation stunned some of his colleagues.
- "He's never done that," one senior House Democrat told Axios. "He supports incumbents."
- Jeffries himself declared Tuesday in response to a different question: "I stand behind every single House Democratic incumbent."
- Wasserman Schultz, a member of Jeffries' leadership team, has stoked the anger of Black Democrats by running in a plurality Black district. "People are pissed off," a second senior House Democrat told Axios.
Driving the news: "Haven't made a decision as it relates to that particular race," Jeffries said at a press conference when asked whether he is supporting Wasserman Schultz for reelection.
- "Everybody has a right to run where they see fit, they've got to go make their case to the people that they hope to represent moving forward, and that's what I communicated directly to Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz," he added.
- Jeffries touted Wasserman Schultz's "strong track record of accomplishment" but said "at the same period of time, I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment in terms of an unprecedented Jim Crow-like assault on black political representation."
- "It's an environment that all of us need to be sensitive to as we move forward."
Between the lines: Jeffries didn't fully close the door on endorsing Wasserman Schultz, and there is still plenty of time before the state's August 18 primary for him to endorse her.
- There are also 10 days until the state's congressional filing deadline, which means the district's primary field is not yet set in stone.
- Still, Wasserman Schultz has faced condemnation from state and local Black elected officials for running in the state's mostly Black 20th district after Republicans drew her out of her current 25th district seat.
State of play: Along with Wasserman Schultz, activist Elijah Manley and former Broward County mayor Dale Holeness and rapper Luther Campbell are filed to run in the Democratic primary for the solidly blue seat.
- So is former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who previously represented the seat but resigned amid an Ethics Committee investigation.
What they're saying: "I'm thankful for the strong and broad support I've received all over CD20," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement to Axios.
- "I'll continue to talk with Broward voters and make my case that I'll be the most effective representative for this whole community, and as always, I'm not taking any support for granted," she said.
- Manley, in a statement to Axios, said: "In several interviews with the press, DWS has said that Leader Jeffries and the CBC was supporting her. Now we're learning that isn't the full story."
The bottom line: "I would never have thought he would [do] that," the first senior House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity said of Jeffries withholding his endorsement.
- But, this lawmaker noted, the Black community is "furious she made that decision."
