Dozens of Democratic candidates for the U.S. House in 2026 are refusing to back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), exposing a growing rift in the party as it faces mounting internal divisions over leadership, messaging, and ideology.
According to newly released Axios survey data, 113 Democrat House candidates were asked whether they would support Jeffries for party leader. Only 24 pledged firm support. Meanwhile, 20 candidates outright rejected him, 5 said they were likely to oppose him, 57 declined to say, and just 7 were likely to support him. Nearly half of those surveyed were noncommittal.
Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi in 2022, had previously maintained unanimous support from House Democrats. But the growing dissatisfaction—particularly among progressive and battleground candidates—signals trouble ahead for his leadership if Democrats retake the House majority in 2026.
Critics cited a range of frustrations. New Hampshire candidate Heath Howard said the party needs a leader who will “fight back significantly harder against the Trump administration.” Illinois progressive Kat Abughazaleh and Maryland firefighter Harry Jarin echoed the need for more aggressive, action-oriented leadership that reflects grassroots anger.
Jeffries’ ambiguous stance on New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a socialist candidate whose platform has split the party, has also become a flashpoint. His refusal to endorse Mamdani has drawn backlash from several candidates, including North Carolina’s Jacob Lawrence and Saikat Chakrabarti, who questioned whether the Democratic leadership would support insurgent candidates at all.
Further complicating Jeffries’ standing are his decisions during the ongoing government shutdown. He recently rejected a Republican-backed proposal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for one year, calling it a “non-starter.” President Donald Trump and House Republicans have accused Jeffries and Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer of prioritizing partisan attacks over reopening the government, even as polling shows voters want Democrats to accept the GOP’s current spending levels.
Many of the Democrats refusing to back Jeffries are running in competitive races in swing districts. Their discontent signals that the party’s ideological divisions—between establishment figures like Jeffries and rising progressive voices—may intensify during the 2026 election cycle.
Jeffries has not publicly responded to the survey, but his spokesman said he remains focused on “battling Donald Trump” and addressing Republican-led challenges. Whether that message will unify a party increasingly divided over its direction remains unclear.
