Are Democrats questioning Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership?

As Democrats unite a divided party after Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat to President-elect Donald Trump, some are questioning who stays on the helm of the Democratic Party.

MSNBC host Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden and former White House adviser to President Barack Obama, he said last week that Democrats were “in a desert.”

“There is no clear party leader. Joe Biden will soon leave office. Kamala Harris just lost the election,” she said.

Other experts and news web sites they similarly suggested that the Democratic Party has no obvious leader and query its future as Republicans take over the trifecta of power with control of the White House and each houses of Congress.

The 2028 Democratic presidential field stays open (Kamala Harris is considering a return), and the Democratic National Committee will elect a brand new chair on February 1. But suggestions that the party has no leader may very well be seen as a snub to the minority leaders within the upcoming House and Senate elections, respectively, Republican Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Antjuan Seawright, a longtime Democratic strategist and adviser to Hakeem Jeffries, says questions on the party’s leadership are particularly offensive to the 54-year-old congressman, who in January 2023 was elected the primary minority leader of the Black House.

“When we were in a political, mathematical scenario in Washington, people always looked at the Democratic leader in the House and also the Democratic leader in the Senate as the leaders of our party,” Seawright noted, referring to the balance of power in Congress. where Democrats closed the gap in a minority of seats within the House despite losing the Senate majority to Republicans.

Congressman Jeffries, 54, has emerged as the brand new Democratic leader within the House of Representatives, making history as the primary Black American to steer a significant party in Congress.

“We won three seats in New York (and won seats in California). We won two seats by changing constituencies and we he switched to a place in Oregon … this can be attributed to the leader of the House Democratic Caucus,” he said.

“The Democratic leader of the House should definitely be considered a leader,” said Jamarr Brown, executive director of Color of Change PAC, the political arm of a civic motion group founded in 2005.

“He is a strong fundraiser. “He is a strong messenger and is willing to fight not only for the Democratic Party but for the people and the community,” said Brown, who noted that Jeffries worked on “significant and historic legislation that cannot be overlooked.”

Democratic strategist Joel Payne noted, “The heart of the Democratic Party runs through Black America, and I think that is a universally understood and accepted fact.”

“The turf wars we see today are common after a difficult defeat. “The party is dealing with family issues right now, but I think all the key players understand that Democrats have no chance of success in 2026, 2028 and beyond without Black voters,” Payne said.

Another challenge to Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership is the presence of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was the leader of the Democratic Party for twenty years. Although he now not officially serves in party leadership, reports indicate he continues to exert influence behind the scenes, including in his role within the Democratic Party insistence President Biden will withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

Brown said while he doesn’t imagine that Pelosi’s perceived overshadowing of Jeffries is “intentional,” provided that she “helped cultivate his leadership within the House structure and the Democratic caucus,” he does feel that Pelosi continues to function “speaker emeritus.” the Democrats assigned him to her after she left her leadership position.

“We don’t challenge people who say they’re going to pull back…really pull out,” he explained. “I don’t think she understands what it is or how to really be helpful.”

Pelosi’s high profile in Congress “can be problematic,” Brown said, “because we have to let the person elected to lead lead.”

Political commentator Reecie Colbert argued that while Jeffries could have been elected by his peers as party leader, he must assert his position as such.

“I think it’s time for him to do it the same way Speaker Nancy Pelosi did it,” said the host of Sirius XM’s “The Reecie Colbert Show.”

“Power is up for grabs. “So if a person… (who is) no longer a leader is able to outshine you, that is not an indictment of them,” Colbert argued. “Actually, he ought to be the one to tell about it; “It will be a show of strength that he is a leader to whom people should obey, unlike Speaker Pelosi.”

She added: “This is not her defense. That’s just how power works. You have to report it.”

During an appearance on “The View” last week, Congressman Jeffries offered hope to Democrats as they proceed to recuperate from major election defeats this month.

Recalling the 2004 presidential election during which John Kerry lost to President George W. Bush, Jeffries noted that Democrats regained control of Congress two years later and Barack Obama was elected in the following presidential race.

“I remember a newspaper headline in Western Europe saying, ‘America is doing it again,’” the New York Democrat said. “If in two, four years we continue to lean back with the resilience we have always shown, I think we can hope for better days and America will do it again.”