A handful of Democratic congressional nominees have yet to say if they would support Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to continue leading the party in the next Congress.
Jeffries has his eyes set on becoming the first Black speaker, as Democrats remain hopeful they will flip the House in November. Yet, the very candidates likely to hand control to Democrats are playing it quiet when it comes to Jeffries.
The tension was on display in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. Democrat nominee Rebecca Bennett, who likely needs to beat Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) if Democrats have any shot at the majority, refused to commit to voting for Jeffries before her primary win.
Likewise, Iowa’s 1st congressional Democratic nominee Christina Bohannan is also noncommittal, merely responding “I don’t know yet. I haven’t made that decision,” when asked by Punchbowl News if she would support Jeffries.
“I want to get elected first,” she continued.
Both Bennett and Bohannah come from districts labeled a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Both seats are currently held by Republicans.
Montana’s 1st congressional Democratic nominee Sam Forstag echoed similar sentiments as Bohannan. Forstag sits in a seat labeled “likely Republican,” but has no incumbent running.
“I’m not committing to anyone one way or the other,” Forstag told Punchbowl News. “I will stand with whoever will stand with working people in this state.”
Democrats are gunning to retake the House after a tough loss in 2024 that sent the party scrambling for new messaging. To that end, Jeffries has sought to refocus Democrat messaging on healthcare and the economy — two issues that poll highly among all demographics.
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“I think that he is showing more and more that he could appeal to all sides of the party in terms of message, temperament, but also that fire in the belly and that willing to that willingness to punch,” Democratic Strategist Jon Reinish told the Washington Examiner.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Jeffries’ office for comment.