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Hakeem Jeffries

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Hakeem Jeffries
Official portrait, 2021
House Minority Leader
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
WhipKatherine Clark
Preceded byKevin McCarthy
Leader of the House Democratic Caucus
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
DeputyKatherine Clark
Preceded byNancy Pelosi
Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byJoe Crowley
Succeeded byPete Aguilar
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Serving with Cheri Bustos and David Cicilline
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded bySteve Israel (Chair)
Succeeded byMatt Cartwright
Debbie Dingell
Ted Lieu
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byEdolphus Towns (Redistricting)
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 57th district
In office
January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2012
Preceded byRoger Green
Succeeded byWalter Mosley
Personal details
Born
Hakeem Sekou Jeffries

(1970-08-04) August 4, 1970 (age 54)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Kennisandra Arciniegas
​
​
(m. 1997)​
[1]
Children2
RelativesHasan Kwame Jeffries (brother)
Leonard Jeffries (uncle)
Education
WebsiteHouse website
Party website
Campaign website
Hakeem Jeffries's voice
Hakeem Jeffries voices his support for the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act
Recorded March 3, 2020

Hakeem Sekou Jeffries (/ˌhɑːˈkiːm/ hah-KEEM; born August 4, 1970[2]) is an American politician and attorney who has served as House minority leader and Leader of the House Democratic Caucus since 2023. He has been the U.S. representative for New York's 8th congressional district since 2013 and was a member of the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.

Jeffries was born and raised in Crown Heights, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. He attended law school at New York University, graduating with honors and becoming a successful corporate lawyer before running for elected office. Both his state assembly district and congressional district are anchored in Brooklyn.

In Congress, Jeffries chaired the House Democratic Caucus from 2019 to 2023. The members of the caucus unanimously elected him to succeed Nancy Pelosi as leader in November 2022. This made him the first African American to lead a party in either chamber of the United States Congress.

Early life and career

Jeffries was born in New York City, at Brooklyn Hospital Center to Laneda Jeffries, a social worker, and Marland Jeffries, a state substance-abuse counselor.[3][4] He has one brother, Hasan. He grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and is a lifelong member of the Cornerstone Baptist Church.[5][6]

Jeffries graduated from Midwood High School, a public school, in 1988.[7] He then studied political science at Binghamton University, graduating in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors. During his time at Binghamton he became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.[8]

Jeffries continued his education at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy, earning a Master of Public Policy degree in 1994. He then attended New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the New York University Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude in 1997 with a Juris Doctor degree and delivered the student address at Convocation.[9][10]

Upon graduating from law school, Jeffries became a law clerk for Judge Harold Baer Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.[11]

From 1998 to 2004, Jeffries was in private practice at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. In 2004, he became a corporate litigator for television companies Viacom and CBS, where among other matters he worked on the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy.[12][13] During Jeffries's time at Paul, Weiss, he also served as director of intergovernmental affairs for the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors (construction contractors) and as the president of Black Attorneys for Progress.[14][15]

New York State Assembly

Jeffries was elected and reelected, serving in the New York State Assembly for a Brooklyn district from 2007 to 2012.[16] During this time, he introduced over 70 bills.[17]

In 2007, while still in his first term in the State Assembly, Jeffries endorsed and supported Barack Obama, and was among Obama's earliest supporters in Hillary Clinton's home state. In one interview, he said, "When I first ran for office, some people suggested that someone with the name 'Hakeem Jeffries' could never get elected, and when I saw someone with the name 'Barack Obama' get elected to the U.S. Senate, it certainly inspired me."[18]

While in the Assembly, Jeffries distinguished himself as a leader on seeking bipartisan criminal justice reform.[19][20] In 2010, Governor David Paterson signed a Stop-and-Frisk database bill sponsored by Jeffries and then-Senator Eric Adams that banned police from compiling names and addresses of those stopped but not arrested during street searches.[21]

Jeffries wrote and sponsored that law.[22][23] He also sponsored and passed House Bill A.9834-A (now law), the inmate-base gerrymandering law that counts prison populations of upstate districts as part of the public population, becoming the second state to end this practice.[24]

Committee assignments

  • State House Committee on Banks
  • State House Committee on Codes
  • State House Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions
  • State House Committee on Correction
  • State House Committee on Housing
  • State House Committee on Judiciary
    • State House Subcommittee on Banking in Underserved Communities
    • State House Subcommittee on Mitchell-Lama
    • State House Subcommittee on Transitional Services
    • State House Subcommittee on Trust and Estates[25]

U.S. House of Representatives

Early years in Congress (2013–2018)

On April 11, 2013, Jeffries introduced the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument Preservation Act (H.R. 1501; 113th Congress). The bill would direct the secretary of the interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn as a unit of the National Park System (NPS).[26] Jeffries said, "as one of America's largest revolutionary war burial sites and in tribute to the patriots that lost their lives fighting for our nation's independence, this monument deserves to be considered as a unit of the National Park Service."[27] On April 28, 2014, the Prison Ship Martyrs's Monument Preservation Act was passed by the House.[28]

On July 15, 2014, Jeffries, who in private practice addressed intellectual property issues, introduced the To establish the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (H.R. 5108; 113th Congress), which would establish the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to be available to accredited law schools for the ten-year period after enactment of the Act.[29]

In 2015, Jeffries led the effort to pass the Slain Officer Family Support Act,[30] which extended the tax deadline for people making donations to organizations supporting the families of deceased NYPD detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos. The families of the officers, who had been killed in their patrol car on December 20, 2014, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Jeffries's district, had been the recipients of charitable fundraising.[31] Before the law's enactment, people would have had to make those contributions by December 31, 2014, to qualify for a tax deduction in connection with taxes filed in 2015. With the change, contributions made until April 15, 2015, were deductible. President Obama signed the bill into law on April 1, 2015.[32]

In 2015, prominent African-American pastors called for Jeffries to step into the 2017 Democratic primary for mayor against de Blasio. Jeffries said he had "no interest" and wished to remain a member of Congress.[33]

On May 22, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan First Step Act by a 358–36 vote with Jeffries as a key sponsor.[34][35] President Trump signed the bill into law on December 21, 2018. It eased mandatory minimum federal sentences, expanded early releases, and ended some draconian practices, such as the shackling of women inmates giving birth.[36][37]

Jeffries also played a key role in the House passage of the bipartisan Music Modernization Act, which became law in 2018.[38]

Among the practices Jeffries continued from his time in the Assembly in Congress is Summer at the Subway, rebranded as "Congress on Your Corner", offering outdoor evening office hours from June through August near subway stations that allow him to connect and hear constituents' concerns firsthand.[39]

Committee assignments

As a freshman, Jeffries served on the influential Budget Committee.[40] Later, he served on the Judiciary Committee. During the 114th Congress, Jeffries also served on the House Education and Workforce Committee. He has been a long-standing member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[41]

Leadership (2018–2022)

Democratic Caucus Chair

Jeffries with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden in March 2022

On November 28, 2018, Jeffries defeated California congresswoman Barbara Lee to become chair of the House Democratic Caucus.[42] His term began when the new Congress was sworn in on January 3, 2019.[43] In this role, he was the fifth-ranking member of the Democratic leadership.[42]

First impeachment of President Donald Trump

On January 15, 2020, Jeffries was selected as one of seven House managers presenting the impeachment case against Trump during his trial before the United States Senate.[44] On January 22, 2020, a protester in the Senate gallery interrupted Jeffries by yelling comments at the senators seated a floor below. Jeffries quickly responded with a scripture verse, Psalm 37:28, "For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones", before continuing with his testimony.[45]

During the impeachment hearings, in response to Trump's counsel's rhetorical question “Why are we here?” to the Senate, Jeffries delivered a soliloquy that concluded by quoting Biggie Smalls: "and if you don't know, now you know".[46][47] Billboard magazine called it a "noteworthy mic-drop moment".[48]

House Democratic leader (2022–)

With outgoing Speaker Pelosi's endorsement, Jeffries was elected unopposed as House Democratic leader for the 118th Congress in November 2022, becoming the first African American to lead a party caucus in either chamber of Congress.[49][50][51]

118th Congress

Start of 118th Congress

At the start of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023, the House of Representatives began the nominating contest for Speaker of the House. The Democratic caucus unanimously nominated Jeffries for speaker. He received 212 votes, all from Democrats, on nearly every ballot.[52] (David Trone missed the 12th round of voting for a surgery but returned for the 13th round.)[53][54] Meanwhile, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican front-runner, failed to secure a majority of votes cast. On January 6, McCarthy finally received a majority and was elected on the 15th ballot after making concessions to the far right.[55][56] In total, Jeffries received 3,179 votes for speaker.[57][58]

When McCarthy was elected speaker, Jeffries handed him the gavel after a 15-minute speech.[59] The speech, an alphabetical recitation of words describing what the government should and should not be, was dubbed the "ABCs of Democracy".[60] The video of Jeffries's alphabet speech has been viewed over 2.4 million times on social media.[61] On July 31, 2024, Jeffries announced he had penned an illustrated book, The ABCs of Democracy, to be published on November 12, 2024.[62]

House Democrats unanimously nominated Jeffries again in the October 2023 election after the successful motion to vacate McCarthy's speakership.[63]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

The first major test of the 118th Congress was the looming expiration of the nation’s debt ceiling. Economists warned that a breach and subsequent default would be catastrophic.[64][65] On May 29, 2023, Representative Patrick McHenry introduced the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. Democrats initially resisted the measure.[66][67] When the Fiscal Responsibility Act was brought for a vote on May 31, Jeffries held up a green card to alert Democrats that they could vote in favor of it; over 50 did.[68][69] The Fiscal Responsibility Act was signed into law on June 3 and is estimated to have reduced the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years.[70]

Removal of Speaker McCarthy

On October 3, 2023, Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership criticizing McCarthy for working with Democrats to pass a spending bill which did not include fiscally conservative reforms.[71][72] Preceding the vote, Jeffries said in a letter to colleagues that House Democratic leaders would vote “yes” on the motion to vacate the chair. After listing off reasons not to keep McCarthy in power, Jeffries said Democrats “remain willing to find common ground on an enlightened path forward.”[73]

Immediately after Gaetz filed his motion to vacate, an attempt to remove the motion through a motion to table was filed by Representative Tom Cole, a McCarthy ally, but it was voted down by House Democrats and eleven Republicans.[74][75]

Following the removal of McCarthy, Jeffries published a column in the Washington Post calling for a “bipartisan governing coalition” in which he pitched a path for consensus legislation that could not be blocked by a “small handful of extreme members” when large swaths of the House supported a bill.[76][77] The column ultimately signaled a governing coalition Jeffries led from the with reports beginning to describe him as de-facto or shadow Speaker of the House.[78]

Governing by coalition
Main article: 2023–24 U.S. House legislative coalition

In December 2023, Jeffries led the House Democratic Caucus in providing the majority of the votes, 163-147, to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, allowing it to pass under suspension of the rules. The bill included a 5.2% pay increase.[79][80] On January 7, 2024, Jeffries and congressional leaders agreed to a $1.59 trillion topline spending deal. The topline spending levels agreed to for 2024 were not substantially different from the deal McCarthy and President Biden had negotiated.[81]

On March 6, the House passed a $459 billion "minibus" spending package containing six of the 12 appropriations bills. The bill funded the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other military construction.[82] Jeffries led negotiations and applauded Democrats for ensuring the WIC program remained untouched, as well as providing rental assistance, a pay raise for firefighters and investments in new air traffic controllers.[83] After the vote, he said, "Once again, Democrats protected the American people and delivered the overwhelming majority of votes necessary to get things done."[84]

On March 22, the House passed a second $741 billion minibus to fund the remaining departments with Democratic support; a majority of Republicans voted against the package. Jeffries touted the work of the bipartisan coalition, saying: "We've said from the very beginning of this Congress, as Democrats, that we will find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues on any issue, whenever and wherever possible, as long as it will make life better for the American people. That's exactly what House Democrats continue to do".[85][86] As part of negotiations to avert a government shutdown, Jeffries helped secure at least one project as an earmark for every Democratic member.[87] Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro said, "He negotiated. He got what we needed to have".[87]

On April 12, the House passed a modified surveillance bill that reauthorized the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.[88] The final vote was 273-147, with Democrats delivering votes to protect national security under Section 702. Biden signed the legislation hours before the program expired.[88] On April 20, over two months after the Senate had passed a funding bill for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine,[89] Jeffries negotiated a legislative path for the bill and delivered a majority of Democratic votes to pass a package providing aid to the three countries in separate bills, each of which passed Congress with bipartisan support and large majorities and was signed into law by Biden.[90] Three Freedom Caucus members voted against the bill in committee, but all Democrats voted for it.[91] The legislative package also included a House-passed bill to force the app TikTok to divest from its Chinese Communist Party-owned parent company, ByteDance, as well as the REPO for Ukrainians Act, which allows the U.S. government to fund the Ukrainian war effort with assets seized from Russian oligarchs. During debate on the bill, Jeffries emphasized the role of the bipartisan legislative coalition, saying, "We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, to defend democracy wherever it is at risk".[92] In an interview with 60 Minutes after the vote, he said House Democrats "effectively have been governing as if we were in the majority."[93]

On May 15, the House passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included programs to improve safety and protect consumers, with more Democrats (195) than Republicans (192) voting for it.[94][95] After the votes to avert a federal government shutdown and send foreign assistance abroad, the Associated Press said that Jeffries, as the minority leader, "might very well be the most powerful person in Congress right now".[96]

Killing second motion to vacate attempt

As far-right Republicans issued warnings about a Motion to Vacate the Chair after a series of bills passed with the support of a majority of Democrats, Jeffries hinted at providing a lifeline to Speaker Mike Johnson in an interview with the New York Times.[97] On May 8, 2024, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had strongly opposed Johnson's resolve to provide Ukraine with further aid, introduced the motion to vacate his speakership on the floor, forcing a vote on it. Citing Johnson's decision to hold a vote on the legislative package to aid allies abroad, Jeffries and Democratic leaders said Democrats would vote to table Greene's motion.[98][99] The House voted to table the motion, 359-43, allowing Johnson to remain speaker.[100] 196 Republicans and 163 Democrats voted to table the motion; 11 Republicans and 32 Democrats voted against tabling it. The Democrats who supported Johnson said they did so because of the vital role he had played in passing funding for the federal government and supporting Ukraine.[101] Greene did not rule out forcing another vote to oust Johnson, but the Wall Street Journal wrote that Jeffries "flexes power as Mike Johnson flounders".[101][102]

Role as Democratic fundraiser and leader

Since assuming the role of leader, Jeffries has become a prominent fundraiser and operative for the party. In 2023, he raised $113 million for Democratic candidates and campaign committees, including $99 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).[103] The DCCC under Jeffries's control consistently set fundraising records in the 2024 election, raising $280.9 million for the cycle as of October 2024.[104][105] The SuperPAC affiliated with Jeffries, House Majority PAC, also broke fundraising records.[106]

Jeffries's first major political test as leader came in February 2024, after George Santos was expelled from Congress. For the special election to fill the vacancy, Jeffries tapped former representative Tom Suozzi.[107] Jeffries deployed his political team and key allies across the district and helped raise $1 million for the special election, holding fundraisers for Suozzi in New York, Washington and elsewhere.[107]

Jeffries had a prime-time speaking slot at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[108] His speech, which received a standing ovation, was inspired by Psalm 30:5.[109] He endorsed Kamala Harris for president and likened Donald Trump to "an old boyfriend".[110] According to Essence, Jeffries delivered the speech with the "cadence of a seasoned preacher".[110]

Caucus memberships

Committee assignments

118th Congress

No committee assignments as party leader; ex-officio member of United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.[114]

117th Congress

116th Congress

115th Congress

  • Committee on the Judiciary[114]
    • Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet[114]
    • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations[114]
  • Committee on the Budget[114]

114th Congress

113th Congress

  • Committee on the Judiciary[114]
    • Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet[114]
    • Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law[114]
  • Committee on the Budget[114]

Political positions

Jeffries with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine in September 2023

He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and, before becoming caucus leader, was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[115] Jeffries is noted for his ability to work with Democrats across the caucus and Republicans on shared goals. Considered a centrist, he has said he is willing to work with Republicans "whenever possible, but we will also push back against extremism whenever necessary." He also maintains good working relationships with more progressive Democrats.[116] In the 117th Congress, he voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[117]

In an interview with NY1, Republican former U.S. representative Bob Goodlatte said of Jeffries: "One of the best skills a legislator can have is to be willing to communicate with anybody in a constructive way about how to get things done. And that's exactly the approach that he's taken", calling Jeffries "open to compromise".[34]

Since taking federal office, Jeffries has been called "a rising star".[118] He has been appointed to the House Judiciary Committee Task Force on Over Criminalization,[119] and was also appointed the whip of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).[120][121] He plays in the infield on the Congressional Baseball Team.[122]

Congressional Black Caucus

Before becoming House Democratic Leader, Jeffries served as the Congressional Black Caucus whip, having been elected to the position in November 2014. In that role, he was actively involved in maintaining the CBC's historic role as "the conscience of the Congress",[123] addressing special orders on the House floor, including regarding voting rights (after the Supreme Court decision on the 1965 Voting Rights Act), and in December 2014 leading CBC members in a "hands up, don't shoot" protest of killings of African-Americans by police.[124][125]

After the shootings in Charleston in June 2015 by a white supremacist inspired by the Confederate flag, Jeffries led the effort to have the flag removed for sale or display on National Park Service land, an amendment the Republican House leadership eventually killed after its initial support and inclusion on voice vote. During debate on the House floor, Jeffries stood next to the Confederate battle flag, said he "got chills", and lamented that the "Ghosts of the Confederacy have invaded the GOP".[126]

Criminal justice reform

Jeffries called for a Department of Justice investigation into the circumstances of Eric Garner's death.[127] On a visit to the Staten Island site where Garner was killed, recorded by a CNN news crew in December 2014, Jeffries encountered Gwen Carr, Garner's mother.[128] In April 2015, he stood with Carr to announce the introduction of the Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act of 2015, which would make chokeholds illegal under federal law.[129][130]

Gun laws

Jeffries speaking in 2023

Jeffries supports increased background checks for potential gun owners and a ban on assault weapons.[131] After a mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee left six dead, he called on Congress to bring the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and assault weapons ban to the House floor. "Our schools have become killing fields and our children slaughtered by weapons of war. It is time for Congress to put kids over guns", Jeffries wrote to Speaker McCarthy.[132][133]

Abortion rights

Jeffries criticized the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, calling it "an assault on freedom, the Constitution and the values shared by a majority of Americans".[134] In the 118th Congress, he joined House Democratic lawmakers to reintroduce the Women's Health Protection Act, which would legally protect providing and accessing abortion care nationwide for patients and abortion providers.[135][136]

LGBTQ rights

Jeffries supports banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2019, he voted in favor of the Equality Act and urged Congress members to do the same.[137][138]

Environment

In June 2024, after New York governor Kathy Hochul indefinitely halted the implementation of congestion pricing in New York City, Politico reported that Hochul had acted in response to concerns raised by Jeffries. In August 2024, Jeffries reiterated that the ongoing pause was "a reasonable thing to do at this moment."[139][140][141]

Cannabis

Jeffries reintroduced bipartisan legislation, the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act, to create a transparent process for the federal government to establish effective regulations to be enacted upon the termination of the prohibition of cannabis.[142] He also co-sponsored the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would end the federal prohibition and criminalization of cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act and facilitate the expungement of low-level federal cannabis convictions while incentivizing state and local governments to do the same.[143]

In the past, Jeffries called on the New York City Police Commissioner to reform its cannabis arrest policy after reports showed that low-level cannabis arrests, which increased dramatically under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration's application of stop-and-frisk, were still rising in New York City under Bloomberg's successor, Bill de Blasio.[144][145]

Trump impeachment

Jeffries voted to impeach President Donald Trump during both his first and second impeachments in the House.[146] He repeatedly called Trump's presidency "illegitimate" due to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election.[147][148]

Foreign affairs

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Jeffries with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in July 2023

A member of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Jeffries has spoken out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[149][150] He defended the Biden administration's assistance to Ukraine throughout the crisis and voted to send relief.[151] In April 2024, he voted for military aid package supplementals for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.[152][153][154]

Syria

In 2023, Jeffries voted against H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[155][156]

Israel

Jeffries at a pro-Israel conference in Washington, D.C., on October 17, 2023

Jeffries visited Israel for his first trip abroad as House Democratic leader.[157][158] In Israel, he led a delegation of House Democrats (Gregory Meeks, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Yvette Clarke, Stacey Plaskett, Nanette Barragan, Josh Gottheimer, Steven Horsford, Lizzie Fletcher, Joe Neguse, Dean Phillips, and Sara Jacobs) and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[159][158]

Jeffries firmly supports Israel's right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. He has been called "one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in the House".[160] Jeffries also believes Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorism.[161][162][163]

Pro-Israel groups cheered Jeffries's ascent to House Democratic leader due to his staunch support for Israel.[164] He has traveled to Israel five times since being elected to Congress.[165] In 2020, Jeffries told an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference that "back home in New York City we consider Jerusalem to be the sixth borough".[164]

Upon the onset of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Jefferies reiterated his support for Israel, saying, "Our commitment to Israel's security is ironclad."[166] On November 9, 2023, he rejected calls for a ceasefire.[167] Jeffries spoke at the March for Israel on November 14, 2023, condemning antisemitism and calling for the safe return of all hostages taken captive by Hamas, and a "just and lasting peace".[168][169]

Elections

New York State Assembly

In 2000, while a lawyer at Paul Weiss, Jeffries challenged incumbent assemblyman Roger Green in the Democratic primary. He criticized Green for inattentiveness to his constituents' needs and preoccupation with pursuing higher office after the incumbent had run for New York City Public Advocate in 1997 and had spoken of his plans to run for Congress upon the retirement of Edolphus Towns.[170][171] Jeffries lost the primary, 59% to 41%,[172][173] but remained on the Independence Party line in the general election, receiving 7% of the vote to Green's 90%.[174]

During post-census redistricting, Jeffries's home was drawn one block outside of Green's Assembly district as Prospect Heights was removed from the district. Jeffries was still legally permitted to run in the district for the 2002 cycle, as state law requires only that a candidate live in the same county as a district they seek in the first election after a redistricting, but this complicated his path and left Jeffries unable to challenge Green in the 2004 Democratic primary.[175] Green claimed he did not know where Jeffries lived.[173][176][177][178] Jeffries lost the 2002 primary, 52% to 38%.[179][180] Interviewed later about the redistricting, Jeffries said, "Brooklyn politics can be pretty rough, but that move was gangsta."[181]

The 2002 redistricting left Jeffries unable to challenge Green in the 2004 Democratic primary, which took place after Sheldon Silver and Democratic leadership forced Green to resign after he pleaded guilty to billing the state for false travel expenses. Green was renominated unopposed.[175][182]

In 2006, Green retired from the Assembly to run for the U.S. House from New York's 10th congressional district against incumbent U.S. representative Ed Towns. Jeffries ran for the 57th district again and won the Democratic primary, defeating Bill Batson and Freddie Hamilton with 64% of the vote.[183][184][185] In the general election, he handily defeated Republican nominee Henry Weinstein.[186]

Jeffries was reelected in 2008, defeating Republican nominee Charles Brickhouse with 98% of the vote.[187] In 2010 he was reelected to a third term, easily defeating Republican nominee Frank Voyticky.[188]

U.S. House

2012 election

Main article: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 8
Jeffries during the 112th Congress

In January 2012, Jeffries announced that he would give up his Assembly seat to run for the U.S. House from New York's 8th congressional district.

Jeffries expected to give Towns a strong challenge in the Democratic primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district. But with Jeffries assembling "a broad coalition of support", Towns announced his retirement on April 16, leaving Jeffries to face city councilman Charles Barron in the Democratic primary.[189][190][191][192][193]

Jeffries was supported by a broad coalition of local leaders from across the district. On June 11, 2012, former mayor Ed Koch, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Councilman David Greenfield, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and other elected officials and community leaders held a joint event to support Jeffries's campaign.[194][195]

While President Barack Obama did not openly support candidates in Democratic primaries, he and President Bill Clinton together took a photograph with Jeffries weeks before his 2012 Congressional primary against Charles Barron, which was effectively used in campaign literature.[196]

Jeffries defeated Barron in the June 26 primary election, 72% to 28%.[197][198] A New York Daily News editorial noted that Barron had been "repudiated" in all parts of the district, including among neighbors on Barron's own block in East New York, which he lost.[199]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2012 Democratic primary[200]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries 28,271 71.8
Democratic Charles Barron 11,130 28.2
Total votes 39,401 100.0

In the general election, Jeffries defeated Republican nominee Alan Bellone and Green Party nominee Colin Beavan with 71% of the vote.[197][201][202][200]

On January 3, 2013, he was sworn in to the 113th Congress. He has since been reelected six successive times.[203]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2012[200]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries 178,688 87.5
Working Families Hakeem Jeffries 5,351 2.6
Total Hakeem Jeffries 184,039 90.1
Republican Alan Bellone 15,841 7.8
Conservative Alan Bellone 1,809 0.9
Total Alan Bellone 17,650 8.7
Green Colin Beavan 2,441 1.2
Total votes 204,130 100.0
Democratic hold

2014 election

Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 8

Jeffries was reelected to the House in 2014 without opposition.[204]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries 70,469 84.0
Working Families Hakeem Jeffries 6,786 8.1
Total Hakeem Jeffries (incumbent) 77,255 92.1
Conservative Alan Bellone 6,673 7.9
Total votes 83,928 100.0
Democratic hold
2016 election
Main article: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 8

In 2016, Jeffries faced no primary challenger.[205] He defeated a Conservative Party challenger with 93% of the vote.[206][207]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries 203,235 88.4
Working Families Hakeem Jeffries 11,360 4.9
Total Hakeem Jeffries (incumbent) 214,595 93.3
Conservative Daniel J. Cavanagh 15,401 6.7
Total votes 229,996 100.0
Democratic hold
2018 election
Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 8
Jeffries during the 115th Congress

In 2018, Jeffries faced no primary challenger. He was reelected with 94% of the vote.[208]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries 170,850 89.3
Working Families Hakeem Jeffries 9,526 5.0
Total Hakeem Jeffries (incumbent) 180,376 94.3
Conservative Ernest Johnson 9,997 5.2
Reform Jessica White 1,031 0.5
Total votes 191,404 100.0
Democratic hold
2020 election
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 8

In 2020, Jeffries faced no primary challenger. He was reelected with 84% of the vote.[209]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries 207,111 74.8
Working Families Hakeem Jeffries 27,822 10.0
Total Hakeem Jeffries (incumbent) 234,933 84.8
Republican Garfield Wallace 39,124 14.1
Conservative Garfield Wallace 2,883 1.1
Total Garfield Wallace 42,007 15.2
Total votes 276,940 100.0
Democratic hold
2022 election
Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 8

In 2022, Jeffries faced no notable primary challenger and was reelected with 71.63% of the vote in the general election.[210]

New York's 8th congressional district, 2022[210]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hakeem Jeffries (incumbent) 99,079 71.63%
Republican Yuri Dashevsky 36,776 26.59%
Conservative Yuri Dashevsky 2,284 1.65%
Total Yuri Dashevsky 39,060 28.24%
Write-in 191 0.14%
Total votes 138,330 100%

Personal life

Jeffries is married to Kennisandra Arciniegas-Jeffries, a social worker with 1199 SEIU's Benefit Fund. They have two sons and live in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.[9][211]

Jeffries is a Baptist.[212]

Jeffries's younger brother, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, is an associate professor of history at Ohio State University[213] and the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama's Black Belt.[214]

Hakeem and Hasan are the nephews of Leonard Jeffries, a former professor at City College of New York.[211][215] While in college, Hakeem Jeffries wrote an editorial defending his uncle and Louis Farrakhan when his uncle was invited to speak at Binghamton University.[215][216] He has said he only has a "vague" recollection of the events. His spokesperson said, "Leader Jeffries has consistently been clear that he does not share the controversial views espoused by his uncle over thirty years ago."[215]

See also

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hakeem Jeffries.
New York State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 57th district
2007–2012 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 8th congressional district
2013–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
2017–2019
Served alongside: Cheri Bustos, David Cicilline 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the House Democratic Conference
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by House Minority Leader
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
126th 		Succeeded by
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