Dozens of Democratic Candidates Decline to Back Hakeem Jeffries as Party Leadership Faces Growing Tension

Among the better-known names who have declined to commit to supporting Jeffries are Daniel Biss, Kat Abughazaleh, Luke Bronin, Donavan McKinney, Mai Vang, Saikat Chakrabarti, and Patrick Roath — all of whom are running strong campaigns, many aimed at unseating long-time Democratic incumbents.

Harry Jarin, a firefighter challenging former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), said, “The anger of the base right now is not being matched by Democratic leadership, and that’s going to have to change one way or another.”

Another source of discontent stems from Jeffries’ decision not to endorse socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a favorite among progressive activists. Several candidates cited that refusal as evidence of what they view as a disconnect between the party’s leadership and its more activist base.

Jacob Lawrence, a candidate challenging Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards in North Carolina, said Jeffries’ lack of support for Mamdani “makes me nervous that, if I were to become the nominee in my race, he and the party would not support me.”

Meanwhile, Chakrabarti — known for his work alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Justice Democrats — responded to a question about Jeffries’ leadership with a hint of irony: “What did Hakeem say about endorsing Zohran? ‘We’ll have conversations and see where it goes’ — well, that’s my answer too.”

Jeffries’ Office Pushes Back

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