According to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, there was one issue at the center of Democrats’ success Tuesday: affordability.
On Wednesday, Jeffries joined “Morning Joe” to reflect on what he called “a big night for the American people,” after Democratic candidates Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill and Zohran Mamdani sailed to victory in high-profile races in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, respectively.
“Abigail focused relentlessly on affordability and driving down the high cost of living in Virginia,” Jeffries explained. “Mikie Sherrill, of course, focused relentlessly on affordability and dealing with some of the escalating prices that have been experienced in New Jersey. And of course, Zohran has focused relentlessly on affordability. That’s the connective tissue that we’ve seen all across the country.”
Jeffries said Democrats centered their campaigns on “making America the best version of herself,” and he contrasted that with the “extremism that we’ve seen unleashed on everyday Americans by Donald Trump and compliant Republicans from the very beginning of his presidency.”
The House minority leader was also asked about the ongoing government shutdown, which has now become the longest in U.S. history, and where negotiations stand with Republicans.
“Our position as Democrats remains clear: We need to reopen the government,” Jeffries said. “We want to find a bipartisan path forward to enact a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people, including dealing with the fact that America is too expensive right now.”
If Republicans can agree to those conditions, Jeffries said, Democrats are committed to working across the aisle to bring the shutdown to an end. “We have repeatedly maintained as Democrats that we will sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, either on Capitol Hill or back at the White House, in order to do what is necessary to end this Trump Republican shutdown,” he said.
You can watch Jeffries’ full interview in the clip at the top of the page.