Party Without a Leader: Democrats Say Hakeem Jeffries Isn’t Stepping Up

Many Democrats are pushing their House leader, Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.), to become the main leader of the party and adopt a more aggressive stance against President Donald Trump, NOTUS reported Monday.

“I am, personally, of the view that America needs to see a lot more of [Jeffries],” said Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.), one of more than a dozen Democrats interviewed by NOTUS. Huffman called Jeffries “the best national messenger the Democratic Party has” and urged the House minority leader to step up as “the public face of our fight.”

The internal pressure comes as Democrats struggle to rally behind a national leader more than two months into Trump’s second term and lack a frontrunner in the 2028 primary. A CNN poll last month found that nearly a third of Democratic voters couldn’t name anyone who “best reflects the core values” of the party. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) led with 10 percent, followed by former vice president Kamala Harris at 9 percent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) at 8 percent, and Jeffries at 6 percent.

Rep. Don Beyer (D., Va.) echoed Huffman’s sentiment, saying that “it’d be great” if Jeffries could emerge as “that one unitary Democratic voice who would be the counterpoint to Trump’s voice.”

Other Democrats were more blunt. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.) said Jeffries “had a tough act to follow” in longtime House leader Nancy Pelosi, “in terms of being here and being an influential person and being national.”

Jeffries “has a lot of really good qualities,” a senior House Democrat told NOTUS on condition of anonymity. “I’m not sure those qualities are well-suited for this moment.”

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