House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries underscored that the path toward making him Speaker could run through his home state of New York.
Republicans have a thin grasp of control in the House of Representatives — 220 seats to the Democrats’ 212 — and Jeffries concluded that four or five competitive seats in the Empire State could make the difference.
“You know what’s interesting, here in New York, we have 4 or 5 seats that are in play. We can win the House back in New York state alone, another five in California, and then, of course, others spread out all across the country,” Jeffries told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday.
Back in the 2022 midterm election cycle, Democrats were dealt a blow in the Empire State, which had been the crown jewel of their redistricting efforts when the New York Court of Appeals shot down their congressional map and ordered a new one drawn.
That decision came in response to Democrats’ efforts to bypass the Independent Redistricting Commission that year.
As a result of the temporary map, Empire State Democrats were set on collision courses with one another. Ultimately, Republicans managed to flip four congressional seats. One of those, won by Long Island’s lying former Rep. George Santos, has since gone back to Democrats.
Last December, the New York Court of Appeals tossed out the temporary congressional map designed by a special master and ordered a new one be crafted via the Independent Redistricting Commission
This has given Democrats hope that they can make up lost ground in House races in traditionally deep blue strongholds.
Jeffries highlighted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s efforts to retake the lower chamber, including its campaign work in New York.
“It is incredibly important that we take back the House to make sure that, the 47th president of the United States of America — who we’re going to work hard to make sure that is Kamala Harris — has a partner, and that we can continue to get big things done,” Jeffries stressed.
Democrats have also been scrambling to hold onto the Senate. They find themselves in a defensive crunch this cycle, forced to defend 23 seats (including four held by independents) compared to the 11 for the Republicans.
The GOP is already considered the favorite to win one of those seats — held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV).
Jeffries had met with Biden during the Democratic mutiny against him on the heels of his debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
In the private meeting, Jeffries expressed grave concerns that if Biden remained on the ticket, he could imperil Democrats down ballot, the Washington Post reported.
A spokesperson for Jeffries neither confirmed nor denied characterizations of the meeting.
“It was a private conversation that will remain private. We obviously have great respect for President Biden. He will go down in American history as one of the most consequential presidents ever” he said.
Jeffries is set to release a new book later this year titled, “The ABCs of Democracy.”