As Democrats prepare to potentially retake the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces the challenge of uniting a caucus that may include both insurgent progressives and vulnerable moderates. Recent defections by two Blue Dogs have intensified debates over discipline versus inclusion. The size of the Democratic majority, the choices of incoming members and strategic coordination among progressives will determine whether the party can govern effectively next year.
Can Hakeem Jeffries Keep House Democrats United? The Stakes If They Flip the House
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffriessits down with USA TODAY for an exclusive on-camera interview in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1, 2026. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the country is in the midst of an “AI safety crisis” that Congress needs to address with bipartisan legislation when lawmakers return to Washington after the midterms. Jeffries, in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, did not offer a detailed vision for what that legislation should look like. But he emphasized that “time is of the essence” and lawmakers would need to take additional steps in the next term.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
WASHINGTON — After a year in which intraparty fights among House Republicans hamstrung Speaker Mike Johnson and concentrated influence in the hands of a few lawmakers, Democrats now face the possibility of similar fractures if they reclaim the lower chamber after the midterms.
If Democrats win the House as many forecasters expect, their caucus could expand to include several far-left members who ousted incumbent Democrats alongside electorally vulnerable moderates. Those ideological differences could produce competing priorities and complicate the party's ability to govern cohesively.
Jeffries at the Center
Hakeem Jeffries, the Brooklyn congressman and current House Democratic leader, is widely viewed as the presumptive next speaker. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, Jeffries emphasized unity: "What's most important, in terms of how I proceed, is us figuring out what unites us." He said he expects Democrats to build a broader majority than the razor-thin margin Republicans currently hold and stressed the initial goal of reaching 218 seats.
Fault Lines Within the Caucus
A larger majority would blunt the power of a handful of dissenters who can now stall the floor, but it would not erase long-standing divides over issues such as Israel, privacy and fiscal policy. With a month to go before voters decide, Jeffries is preparing to welcome a wider array of lawmakers — progressives, center-left members and fiscally conservative moderates — into what Democrats call their "big tent."
Some of the incoming lawmakers are self-identified democratic socialists or staunch progressives who defeated incumbent Democrats backed by party leadership. Several of those insurgents have not publicly committed to supporting Jeffries for speaker, raising the possibility of early conflicts.
The Defection That Echoed
Unity was tested recently when two moderate Blue Dogs — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) and retiring Rep. Jared Golden (Maine) — crossed party lines to advance Republican legislation. Their actions drew anger from colleagues and prompted calls from some leaders for consequences. Jeffries and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark described the move as a "significant breach of trust," but leadership has sent mixed signals about any formal punishment.
Some Democrats urged stripping Gluesenkamp Perez of her single seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee; others counsel patience, warning that punishing members before Jeffries formally assumes the speakership could alienate lawmakers whose votes he needs.
Lessons From Pelosi And The Road Ahead
Jeffries' task recalls aspects of Nancy Pelosi's tenure, during which she often exercised tight control over the caucus while still navigating high-profile disputes with progressive members. Former advisers argue that clear consequences for breaches of caucus discipline can send a necessary message, while others warn that heavy-handed tactics risk fracture.
How difficult governing will be depends in part on the size of the Democratic majority. Ballotpedia reports that 23 House Democrats have announced retirements or are seeking other offices. A USA TODAY analysis also found at least seven districts where primary challengers who unseated incumbents remain on the November ballot.
Progressives Push For Leverage
Progressive organizers say the incoming class will press for an assertive agenda. Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive group Our Revolution, said the likely "blue wave" could be a progressive wave and urged new members to coordinate through the Congressional Progressive Caucus to extract policy concessions — citing tactics used during earlier fights over the Build Back Better agenda.
Jeffries said he has spoken with every Democrat who has secured a nomination and is on track to serve in the next Congress, including potential progressives from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Denver and Detroit. Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) signaled he will help Jeffries whip votes, but the extent to which insurgents and moderates will align with leadership remains an open question.
As Democrats prepare for the possibility of a new majority, the party's ability to govern effectively will hinge on three elements: the size of the majority, the willingness of new members to work within the caucus, and Jeffries' approach to balancing discipline with inclusion.
Contributing: Terry Collins and Phillip Bailey, USA TODAY
“I think we've got to be concerned that guardrails that are rigid are put into place, so that we don't see rogue AI agents behaving in a manner inconsistent with human values,” Jeffries said.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks to reporters outside of his office on Sept. 17, 2026 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Jeffries discussed holding U.S. President Donald Trump accountable, corruption, and the cost of living for Americans and other topics. Also pictured is Puck News Capitol Hill correspondent Marianna Sotomayor (L).(Andrew Harnik, Getty Images)
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), joined by House Democrats, speaks at an event on affordability on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. House Democrats held an event to outline their affordability agenda and to speak out against Republican policies and rising inflation and its effects on everyday Americans.(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
(L-R) Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) hold hands while praying during an unveiling ceremony for a statue of civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on Dec. 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. In 1951, 16-year-old Johns led a walkout at her segregated Virginia high school to protest poor conditions for Black students. Johns will represent the state of Virginia as a replacement for a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee which was removed in 2020.(Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speak after an event on the House steps on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on legislation tonight to fund the federal government that aims to end the longest shutdown in history.(Andrew Harnik, Getty Images)
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks to members of the media about the ongoing Congressional government shutdown negotiations outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government remains shut down after Congress failed to reach a funding deal last week.(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2026 in Washington, DC. Jeffries addressed the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas and President Trump's plans to campaign for candidates across the country.(Finn Gomez, Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York speaks during a press conference on the steps of the US Capitol after the Senate passed the "Big Beautiful Bill Act" earlier in the day in Washington, DC, on July 2, 2025. The Republican-led US Senate approved President Donald Trump's mammoth domestic policy bill July 1, 2024 by the narrowest of margins, despite misgivings over delivering deep welfare cuts and another $3 trillion in national debt. Republican leaders had struggled to corral support during a record 24-hour "vote-a-rama" amendment session on the Senate floor, as Democrats offered dozens of challenges to the most divisive aspects of the package.(Jim Watson, AFP via Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), joined by fellow Democrats, speaks out against the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act at a press conference outside of the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. House Republicans continue their work to pass the Senate version of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, President Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill.(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and other House Democrats take to the steps to speak out against the Republican budget plan on Feb. 25, 2025 in Washington.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, left, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington, DC.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hands Speaker of the House Mike Johnson the gavel during the first session of the 119th Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Jan. 3, 2025.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024.(Mike De Sisti, USA TODAY)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with other House Democrats on June 27, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Democrats are marking two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision, allowing states to enact abortion access restrictions.(Samuel Corum, Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.,left, hands the gavel to the newly elected Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. Johnson was the fourth candidate nominated by the GOP for the role after Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the job on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023 in a move led by a group of hardline House conservatives.(Eric Kayne, USA TODAY)
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries takes questions with Rep. Pete Aguilar, (D-CA), left, and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA),right, as he holds a press conference on May 31, 2023 after meeting with House Democrats regarding the debt ceiling and the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) talks with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) after the thirteenth vote for Speaker of the House on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 as Republicans take over the U.S. House of Representatives with a slim majority.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
Outgoing US Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (L), Democrat of California, greets Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, after speaking in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 17, 2022. Pelosi, 82, the trailblazing first female speaker of the House, said that she will step down from the party leadership when Republicans take control of the chamber in January 2023. "For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect," said Pelosi, who first became speaker in 2007.(OLIVIER DOULIERY, AFP via Getty Images)
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) holds a phone to take a picture with U.S. Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) as they wait for the start of U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol’s House Chamber March 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. During his first State of the Union address Biden spoke on his administration’s efforts to lead a global response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, efforts to curb inflation and bringing the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic.(Pool photo by Evelyn Hockstein)
At right, House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) departs a leadership election meeting with the Democratic caucus in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill Nov. 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. Jeffries is expected to become the leading Democrat in the House after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) steps down from leadership.(Drew Angerer, Getty Images)
Chairman of the Democratic Caucus Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks at a press conference Dec. 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. Jeffries and Rep. Pete Aguilar answered a range of questions at the press conference.(Win McNamee, Getty Images)
From left, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Rep. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.(behind Lofgren), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., walk through the rotunda on their way to the Senate at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 16, 2020.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries D-NY, speaks on stage while standing with fellow Democrats during the 2016 Democratic National Convention on July 27, 2016 at Wells Fargo Center.(Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3, 2026 in Washington, DC. Jeffries addressed the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas and President Trump's plans to campaign for candidates across the country.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speak after an event on the House steps on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on legislation tonight to fund the federal government that aims to end the longest shutdown in history.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) arrives for a vote series at the U.S. Capitol on September 25, 2024 in Washington, DC.
In Colorado, democratic socialist Melat Kiros is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 1st Congressional District.
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