‘It’s on him’: Democrats look to Hakeem Jeffries to plot a path to revival

Hakeem Jeffries nearly became House speaker. Instead, he’s steering the Democratic Party through an identity crisis and hoping to avoid an ugly intraparty civil war.

Hakeem Jeffries nearly became House speaker. Instead, he’s steering the Democratic Party through an identity crisis and hoping to avoid an ugly intraparty civil war. Even without the gavel, many Democrats across Washington say House Minority Leader Jeffries — a 54-year-old New Yorker with centrist roots and messaging chops — is about to become the de facto voice of the party’s future and the face of resistance to Donald Trump. As expected, he was reelected to lead the House Democratic caucus on Tuesday, and he did not face a challenge. So far, Jeffries has said little about his role in the party’s postelection rebuild. But his allies say he’s aware of the part he’s about to play. And many are making the case directly to him: Multiple Democratic donors have personally urged him to “take the lead” until the party has a new official leader, according to two people familiar with the discussions. “‘You are the guy for the entire country right now,’” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a longtime ally, recalled recently telling Jeffries. “I don’t think he’s ever tried to reach that kind of position, but it’s on him.” Jeffries is already playing referee in some of the biggest internal spats emerging from the election. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, for instance, is privately sparring over how the party should handle Trump’s promised mass deportations. Progressives are seething over corporate influence in internal meetings. One group of centrists has even privately discussed a contentious term limits proposal aimed at the party’s old-guard committee leaders, according to two people familiar with the conversations. One of Jeffries’ most urgent questions will be how to handle another two years in the minority — this time, in a GOP-run Washington. He and his leadership team are already discussing how to avoid a repeat of 2016, when Democrats “chased Donald Trump every hour” while failing to deliver their own message, according to one leadership aide. There are even some preliminary talks about sending Jeffries and leadership to battleground turf around the county to help diagnose their party’s failings outside of Capitol Hill.