House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voiced confidence regarding the upcoming November midterm elections during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
During the interview, host Dana Bash asked Jeffries about recent disclosures from neighboring New Jersey, where state authorities revealed that a system error led to the registration of 6,600 non-citizens between 2023 and 2024.
Records showed that 400 of those individuals cast ballots in subsequent elections. Bash questioned whether the incident, along with calls to reconsider President Donald Trump’s SAVE Act, highlighted an ongoing problem, noting previous Democratic assertions that non-citizen voting does not occur.
Jeffries defended the integrity of the voting process, emphasizing that local officials addressed the matter promptly.
“I think that I continue to have confidence in state and local authorities in making sure that there’s going to be a free and fair election in November, and, if modest or minor challenges emerge, such as the one that was disclosed voluntarily by the authorities in New Jersey, that it is immediately corrected,” Jeffries said. “And that’s what I expect will continue to happen.”
He countered by accusing the opposition of focusing on voting restrictions rather than economic issues.
“Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy because they have failed to actually deliver on making life more affordable for the American people,” Jeffries stated.
Jeffries criticized the administration’s broader platform, alleging that promises to lower costs and avoid foreign conflicts have fallen short, pointing specifically to rising gas prices linked to international engagements and past legislative proposals concerning health care programs like Medicaid.
“They have nothing to run on,” Jeffries added. “We’re going to run on fighting for an affordable America.”
Bash also raised questions regarding whether incoming members of Congress might push for votes on policy measures such as abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or modifying border controls.
Jeffries pushed back against that framing, stating that none of the prospective lawmakers he spoke with across the ideological spectrum had brought up those specific proposals. Instead, he framed the party’s stance as a critique of current enforcement tactics.
“House Democrats have taken a strong position as it relates to not giving a dime to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine until, of course, there is dramatic reform in this country and that ICE agents actually start to conduct themselves like every other cop, police officer and law enforcement agent in the country,” Jeffries said. He added that federal immigration policy “clearly should be fair, just, and humane.”
READ: Inside The 2026 Midterm Numbers: Senate Hurdles, House Toss-Ups, And Key Voter Trends
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