House Minority Leader Congratulates Democratic Nominees

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries congratulated Democratic nominees in New York on Saturday, including three candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America who won primaries last week. The post listed Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier among the party's congressional candidates.

All three received support from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Lander and Chevalier defeated incumbents in their primaries. Jeffries had endorsed the two defeated incumbents but did not endorse in the open-seat race won by Valdez.

The Republican Jewish Coalition criticized Jeffries for the message, stating that the candidates want to abolish prisons and borders, defund the police, and downplay the September 11 attacks. Former National Security Council and State Department official Jamie Metzl said the post appeared to welcome nominees without addressing their positions on U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, police funding, and other issues.

In a CNN appearance on Friday, Jeffries said results from a handful of primaries in one of the country's bluest cities do not indicate what will happen in November. He said Democrats need to reelect frontline members and flip Republican-held seats, naming New York-17 as an example.