Without Kamala Harris in the White House, Democrats look to Hakeem Jeffries

If Democrats win a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Jeffries becomes “the most significant Democrat in the country with any power,” says Democratic strategist Joel Payne.

As Democrats continue licking their wounds after the stunning defeat of Kamala Harris by President-elect Donald Trump, all eyes are on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), whose party in Congress has a slim chance of regaining a majority in the House of Representatives.

If Democrats can win the House, it would give the party its only hope of slowing Trump’s agenda from being enacted. Jeffries, a 54-year-old congressman from Brooklyn, New York, would also become House speaker, making history as the first African-American to hold the position, which is only two degrees of separation in the line of presidential succession.

“It would be very significant,” Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told theGrio. The 84-year-old congressman noted that there is a “very critical role” in “our government process for the opposition.”

As Donald Trump begins to name cabinet members of his second administration who will be tasked with carrying out his agenda — which includes proposed mass deportations, the elimination of racial equity programs, and massive cuts to federal spending — Democrats’ ability to play defense will be critical to softening what they see as potentially critical blows to vulnerable communities.

Democratic strategist Joel Payne told theGrio that Democrats are in “harm-reduction mode,” telling theGrio, “It’s clear that having some share of power in government would be a very critical way to do that and to kind of stop the worst of Donald Trump and MAGA’s impulses.”

While Vice President Harris vowed to “never give up” her fight to protect freedoms after conceding the presidential contest to Trump, Harris, along with President Joe Biden, will be leaving office on Jan. 20, 2025. That leaves Congress as the only procedural way for Democrats to combat the MAGA agenda.

Democrats see Jeffries, the current House minority leader, as a critical leader for the party, particularly if his caucus can gain a majority. This would come with control of committees — which includes significant subpoena powers — and shaping the federal budget. At the very least, it would allow Democrats to compel Republicans to make concessions where possible.

“The House will be the first and the front line of defense. But also, it will be the one tenet, if you will, within the Democratic Party that could demonstrate offense,” said Antjuan Seawright, political advisor to Jeffries and CEO of Blueprint Strategies LLC. “I think both of those things are important: our offense and our defense,” the Democratic strategist told theGrio. “That’s the critical role the House would play if the people’s will is for us to be in the majority.”

As a six-term congressman known for having a way with his words, Jeffries is a well-respected and admired politician within the Democratic Party. 

“He is the ultimate New York point guard, and he knows how to have on-court discipline,” Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands told theGrio. “He knows how to call the plays. He knows how to bring the ball down the court. He’s got the handle, he’s got the style, he’s got the dribble, and he knows how to bring it inside and put those points up on the board. And that’s what we’re going do.”

Payne said Jeffries, who represents a “generational break” for the party, has “demonstrated himself to be a really skilled messenger and communicator.” He added, “He cuts across some different skill sets that other Democrats may not be able to. And I think that will be something that Democrats will really benefit from having.”

If elected House speaker, Payne continued, “[Jeffries] becomes the most significant Democrat in the country with any power. He essentially takes on the mantle Nancy Pelosi took when she was re-elevated to speaker during the first Trump presidency.”

However, Payne cautioned that even if Democrats can pull off what will likely be a razor-thin majority in the House, it will still be an uphill battle.

The caucus would include a number of Democrats who are “in districts where Donald Trump is popular,” he noted. “You still have to hold a caucus together that is going to be cross-pressured by a Donald Trump, who is more popular than he was four and eight years ago.”

To that point, Plaskett noted that Democrats would have to take a page from her book as a member of Congress representing a U.S. territory.

“I have limited voting rights, and so I understand what it is to be a punch above your weight,” said Plaskett, who said being a political minority in Congress requires being “engaged with members of the Democratic caucus, as well as the Republican caucus, when it benefits the interests of [our] constituents.”

Politics

Democrats also recognize the incredible opportunity to advance Black political power in Washington with the elevation of Hakeem Jeffries. 

“Him standing in as a Black man from Brooklyn as the primary foil to Donald Trump — I think that that’s significant in a moment like this,” said Payne. 

However, Congressman Clyburn warns that Jeffries stands to face some of the challenges Harris faced as the first woman and first person of color to serve as vice president. 

“That is a heavy burden that you need to have a lot of help in carrying,” said the lawmaker, who served as House majority whip and assistant Democratic leader.

“Kamala Harris suffered from that. I took it upon myself to check a lot of people who kept telling me she’s not this and she’s not that, she’s not doing this, and she’s not doing that,” he recalled. “I would ask them, how many women have been vice president before? She went into office two months before you criticized what she was doing.”

As the first Black House speaker, Clyburn questioned whether Jeffries would be “allowed to get his sea legs … to master the job on day one.”

Seawright, the Democratic strategist, said Jeffries will not only be speaker of the House but the leader of the entire national party, which he noted must “rebound, learn and grow as we go toward the next election cycles” in 2025 and 2026. The role Jeffries will play will be crucial, “whether we win the majority or not.”

After a devastating loss in the 2024 elections, Seawright said Jeffries and other Democratic Party leaders must rethink their messaging to voters. 

“Not just close time to the election, but throughout the days and weeks and months and even years leading up to the election,” he told theGrio. “Reminding them why they matter and what our policies will do to benefit their quality of life.”

Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

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