Growing Progressive Bloc Could Complicate Hakeem Jeffries' Path as Democrats Take the House
Democrats won the House on Tuesday, but their victory may come with a headache for the man expected to lead it.
The left-wing “Squad” of Democratic socialists nearly doubled its numbers in Congress in the midterm elections. That could spell trouble for Hakeem Jeffries when he takes the speaker's gavel from Mike Johnson in January.
Analysts say Jeffries' real test will begin once he has to balance the agenda of the party's Democratic Socialists of America faction against its more moderate members. Fox News anchors Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier discussed the challenge with guests Tuesday evening as the Democratic majority kept growing.
Democrats Take Both Chambers
Democrats captured both the House and the Senate, ending Republican control and reshaping Washington for President Donald Trump's final two years in office. Republicans had entered Election Day with narrow 218-214 House and 53-47 Senate majorities.
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In the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of four seats and broke through in several states Trump carried in 2024. They flipped Republican-held seats in Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, and held open seats in Michigan and New Hampshire.
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed beat former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson in a state Trump won comfortably two years ago.
The final size of the Senate majority was still unsettled early Wednesday. Mississippi's race between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom was too close to call, as was Alaska's contest between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.
A Bigger House Majority
Fox News' results page showed Democrats with 225 House wins by early Wednesday, including 25 flipped seats, with many races still uncounted. Several of those wins came in districts Trump carried in 2024.
Republicans did hold some important seats, including Speaker Johnson's district in Louisiana and several closely watched districts in Texas, but it was not enough to keep the chamber.
Jeffries is positioned to become speaker when the new Congress meets, which would make him the first Black speaker of the House. With the majority comes control of committees, investigations, subpoenas and the legislative calendar.
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The eventual Democratic majority could grow further as slower-counting states finish processing ballots, giving Jeffries a bit more breathing room but also a caucus with more competing demands to manage.
What Comes Next
A Democratic Senate will have major sway over Trump's remaining nominees and will decide which bills reach the floor. Democrats are also expected to use their investigative powers to scrutinize the administration, including its policies and the president's finances.
Trump keeps his veto pen, which gives Republicans an important check unless Democrats can assemble the two-thirds majorities needed to override.
Trump congratulated Democrats but disputed the idea that the results were a personal rejection of his presidency. Reuters reported that nearly nine in ten voters said the cost of living was a major factor in their decision.
Republicans now face divided government after controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress during Trump's first two years back in office.
For Jeffries, though, the hardest fights may not be with the White House. Keeping a larger, louder progressive wing in line while protecting members who won in Trump country could prove to be the defining challenge of his speakership.