Jeffries Says Democrats Are 'On the Verge' of Retaking the House as He Works the Suburbs

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Saturday that his party is "on the verge of taking back control of the House of Representatives," after campaigning in two suburban battleground districts to help Democrats unseat Republican incumbents. "We're running through the finish line. We take nothing for granted," Jeffries told reporters after a rally in Pennsylvania. The midterm elections are about three weeks away.

On Friday, Jeffries appeared in New Jersey's competitive 7th District with Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett, a Navy veteran seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. On Saturday he rallied in Pennsylvania's 1st District with Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner challenging Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Both districts are heavily suburban, fairly affluent and politically divided. The Cook Political Report moved the Pennsylvania race to "Leans Republican" on Friday, down from "Likely Republican," and rates the New Jersey seat as Democratic-leaning, a shift from a toss-up as recently as last month.

Fitzpatrick, seeking a sixth term, has cultivated a moderate image. He voted with House Democrats to rescind tariffs on Canada and to restrict the Iran war, voted against final passage of last year's "Big, Beautiful Bill," and last week pushed back on the president's plan to buy diesel from Russia. Democrats say he has not consistently opposed Mr. Trump, pointing to an earlier vote for the bill. Fitzpatrick has said he opposed the final version because the Senate added steeper Medicaid cuts. Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won his district in 2024, yet Fitzpatrick won reelection by more than 12 points. His campaign said he "still considers" Jeffries a friend and looks forward to working with him in a bipartisan manner in the next Congress.

Jeffries declined to say how many seats Democrats might gain. "I'm very confident that we're going to take back the majority, but it remains to be seen what that looks like in terms of the number of seats that we pick up," he said. Republicans control the House by a single-digit margin, so a small number of races could decide it. Jeffries described all four competitive Republican-held districts in Pennsylvania as pickup opportunities and singled out New York's 17th District, where Democrat Cait Conley is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

He also plans to visit South Texas, where Democrats are defending two competitive seats held by Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez and want to go on offense in two GOP-held districts. Tejano music star Bobby Pulido is running against Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a toss-up district. Republicans made substantial gains among Latino voters in 2024, especially in South Texas, but Jeffries argued those voters could swing back over the cost of living and the administration's aggressive immigration policies.

Republicans are also on the road. Speaker Mike Johnson has campaigned with incumbents in Michigan and Pennsylvania, with Iowa Republicans Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Joe Mitchell, and in Ohio with Derek Merrin, who is trying to unseat Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a rematch of 2024, when Kaptur won by around 2,400 votes. Johnson said he expects to visit about 40 districts this month and believes control will come down to roughly 22 "jump-ball" districts. "I believe we can win those," he told reporters.

President Trump has kept up an aggressive campaign schedule of his own. Jeffries said he welcomes it. "The more Donald Trump campaigns for Republicans across the country, the better for the opportunity for Democrats to further convince the American people that we actually are the only ones determined to make life more affordable for them," he said. A Bucks County Republican who plans to vote for Fitzpatrick told CBS News he thinks Harvie has a "slim chance" but expects a close race because of heavy Democratic turnout.