Rep. Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are “on the verge of taking back control” as he visits 2 key House battlegrounds

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed growing confidence that his party will regain control of the House in November, as he visited two battleground districts in recent days to help Democratic candidates unseat Republican incumbents.

Jeffries campaigned Friday in New Jersey’s competitive 7th Congressional District alongside Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett, a Navy veteran seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. The following day, he traveled to Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District to rally with Democrat Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner challenging Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

The two districts are heavily suburban, fairly affluent and politically divided — and they’ve caused heartburn for Democrats in recent years. The moderate Fitzpatrick has a long history of outrunning other Republicans and winning crossover support since he was first elected in 2016. Control of Kean’s seat has flipped twice since 2018, but he narrowly won a competitive reelection two years ago.

Democrats have invested in both races this year and view both of them as highly competitive, as they hope to take advantage of an unfavorable political environment for President Trump’s party.

“We’re running through the finish line. We take nothing for granted, but we’re on the verge of taking back control of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries told reporters following Saturday’s event in Pennsylvania.

In a briefing with a small group of political reporters Wednesday, Jeffries pointed to a handful of districts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York as opportunities for Democrats. He also said he plans to visit two South Texas districts.

Republicans control the House by a single-digit margin, so the outcome of the midterms could be decided by a fairly small number of races. Jeffries declined to predict how many seats his party could gain in November.

“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, which is going to depend on the conditions that exist over the next few weeks,” he said in the briefing.

During the rally in Bucks County, a perennial swing county that supported Mr. Trump by a razor-thin margin in 2024 after years of narrow Democratic victories, Harvie said: “It is not an accident that Hakeem Jeffries is here tonight.”

“He knows what we’re going to do with this district. He knows the potential,” he said.

Fitzpatrick’s campaign told CBS News that the Republican lawmaker “is aware of Hakeem’s visit, he still considers him a friend, and he looks forward to working with him in a bipartisan manner in the 120th Congress.”

“Leader Jeffries is doing what he needs to do, and Brian completely understands that,” the campaign’s statement continued.

Fitzpatrick, who is seeking a sixth term, has cultivated a moderate image and put distance between himself and Mr. Trump, voting with House Democrats to rescind tariffs on Canada and restrict the Iran war. He also voted against final passage of the Trump administration’s signature “Big, Beautiful Bill” last year. Most recently, he pushed back last week on the president’s plan to buy diesel from Russia.

Democrats have argued Fitzpatrick hasn’t consistently opposed the president’s agenda, pointing to an earlier vote in favor of the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Fitzpatrick has said he voted against the final legislation after the Senate added steeper Medicaid cuts.

Judi Reiss, a Democratic local elected official in Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania, told CBS News at Saturday’s rally with Jeffries and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro that she has “no personal animosity toward [Fitzpatrick] whatsoever, but he hasn’t done anything. He’s been a rubber stamp for Donald Trump.”

“He has not been independent, and it’s very disappointing,” said Reiss, who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination for Fitzpatrick’s seat but dropped out before the primary.

Still, Fitzpatrick has survived on challenging terrain in the past — and overperformed other Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won his district in 2024, but Fitzpatrick won reelection the same year by a more than 12-point margin.

The Cook Political Report rated the Pennsylvania district “Leans Republican” on Friday, down from its previous “Likely Republican” assessment.

Bucks County resident Bill Craig, a Republican who plans to vote for Fitzpatrick, told CBS News he believes Harvie has a “slim chance” of winning the district, but he expects the race to be close due to heavy Democratic turnout.

“Brian Fitzpatrick could cure cancer right now, and they still wouldn’t vote for them,” Craig said. “He’s very middle-of-the-road. They’re trying to paint him as some kind of MAGA psycho.”

Jeffries visited Fitzpatrick’s district a day after campaigning for Bennett across the Delaware River, in a New Jersey seat that the Cook Political report sees as Democratic-leaning — a shift after it called the race a toss-up as recently as last month.

The GOP incumbent there, Kean, is seeking a third term representing a district that stretches from the New York City suburbs to the Pennsylvania border, with Mr. Trump’s Bedminster golf club sitting in the middle. He was first elected after the district was made slightly redder in 2022, and defeated Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also campaigned with Kean in recent weeks.

Jeffries’ campaign stops illustrate the importance of suburban congressional districts that could help determine which party controls the House next year.

In last week’s briefing with reporters, the Democratic leader described all four competitive Republican-held districts in Pennsylvania as Democratic pickup opportunities. In addition to Fitzpatrick’s seat, Democrats are targeting a northeastern Pennsylvania district and two seats in eastern and central Pennsylvania.

He also singled out the race in New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Democrat Cait Conley is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.

Jeffries to campaign in South Texas races

Meanwhile, Democrats are defending two competitive districts in South Texas, and have signaled they plan to go on offense in two GOP-held districts in the region. 

Republicans made substantial gains among Latinos in 2024, especially in South Texas, where some counties that were once Democratic strongholds became light-red.

Jeffries argued that Latino voters could swing back to Democrats, pointing to concerns over the cost of living and the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.

He said the political environment has changed dramatically in the Rio Grande Valley, where Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez are seeking reelection. 

Jeffries said he also plans to campaign in the coming weeks for two Texas Democrats who hope to unseat Republicans. Tejano music star Bobby Pulido is running against Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a toss-up district, and Democrat Johnny Garcia is challenging Republican nominee Carlos De La Cruz in a seat that’s viewed as redder.

The Democratic leader also rejected the notion that newly drawn Republican congressional maps in Texas and Florida would deliver the substantial gains GOP strategists had initially anticipated.

“Under no circumstances are Republicans winning five seats in Texas or four seats in Florida,” Jeffries told CBS News last week.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has disputed Democrats’ increasingly optimistic assessments of the battleground map, pointing to Republican campaign resources and ground game efforts in competitive districts.

If Democrats regain control of the House, Jeffries would be positioned to become the first Black speaker of the House in American history.

While the party that doesn’t control the White House almost always performs well in the midterms, the exact result is tougher to predict. In the 2022 midterms, when Republicans were buoyed by former President Joe Biden’s unpopularity, predictions of a sweeping GOP wave failed to materialize. Republicans narrowly won control of the House but failed to recapture the Senate until two years later.

Asked by CBS News whether Democrats risk that kind of election night disappointment, Jeffries acknowledged the outcome will depend on the political climate and spending.

He said that while the current environment appears favorable to Democrats, the amount of money being spent by Republican-aligned political groups could ultimately limit the number of seats his party gains.

House Republicans’ campaign committee had more cash on hand than the group’s Democratic counterpart at the end of August. 

Jeffries disputed suggestions that Republicans hold an overwhelming financial advantage in House battlegrounds, arguing that Democrats are effectively at parity when spending by candidates, committees and outside groups is considered together.

On the GOP side, Johnson is also barnstorming frontline districts as Republicans fight to maintain their majority — and look for opportunities to unseat vulnerable Democrats. 

Johnson said the other day he expects to visit about 40 districts this month.

In recent days, Johnson has visited Michigan and Pennsylvania with incumbent Republicans, and campaigned alongside two Iowa Republicans who are aiming to retain GOP-held districts: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Joe Mitchell.

He also campaigned last week in Ohio with Derek Merrin, who is hoping to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a toss-up district. It’s a rematch of 2024, when Merrin lost to Kaptur by around 2,400 votes.

During his visit to Ohio, Johnson said he expects control of the House to be determined by at least 22 seats that he sees as “jump-balls.” He has expressed optimism that Republicans can retain their majority.

“This will come down to the outcome of about 22 districts around the country, and I believe we can win those,” Johnson told reporters late last month.

Mr. Trump has also continued an aggressive campaign schedule aimed at boosting Republican candidates. Jeffries said he welcomes his increased involvement.

“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,” Jeffries said.