House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sidestepped a question about New Jersey’s disclosure that thousands of noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote, instead criticizing President Donald Trump and Republicans over election messaging.
“I continue to have confidence in state and local authorities in making sure that there’s going to be a free and fair election in November,” Jeffries said on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. “If modest or minor challenges emerge, such as the one that was disclosed voluntarily by the authorities in New Jersey, that it is immediately corrected.”
Jeffries then pivoted to criticize Trump and Republicans, accusing them of making voter suppression an “electoral strategy.”
“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen from Donald Trump is that in this particular case, Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy because they have failed to actually deliver on making life more affordable for the American people,” he said.
NEW: CNN’s Dana Bash just forced Hakeem Jeffries to face the one thing Democrats swore never happens.
Bash: New Jersey found 6,600 noncitizens on the voter rolls. 400 of them actually voted.
Jeffries’ response? Instant pivot to “Trump and Republicans are the real threat with… pic.twitter.com/aMI2a3UBUm
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) July 26, 2026
Democrats have argued that such cases are isolated and that existing systems are capable of identifying and correcting errors.
The disclosure came after Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) announced that New Jersey election officials removed 6,600 self-identified noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls after a software error mistakenly registered them.
SHERRILL TO REMOVE 6,000 NONCITIZENS FROM VOTER ROLLS AFTER DMV ERROR
State officials said the individuals were removed from the rolls, while an investigation found that about 400 had cast ballots in previous elections.
The issue has fueled renewed debate over election integrity and whether states should take additional steps to verify voter eligibility. Republicans, including Trump, have pointed to the New Jersey disclosure as evidence that stronger safeguards are needed.