Jeffries optimistic about Democratic House retake in 2026

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday he is confident Democrats will take back the House in 2026. midterm elections And he’s also optimistic about his party’s chances of regaining control of the Senate.

In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” moderator Kristen Welker asked Jeffries about Democrats’ sweeping successes in Tuesday’s elections — pointing to wins in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and California — and asked the Democratic leader how confident he is that Democrats can retake the House in next year’s midterm elections.

“The Democrats are definitely going to take back control of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries told Welker.

“And we’re going to focus on the issues that matter: lowering the high cost of living, fixing our broken health care system, and cleaning up corruption, to really build a country that works for working-class Americans, for everyday Americans, and for middle-class Americans,” he continued.

Jeffries said Democrats’ chances in the House are stronger, but he said he sees a “viable” path to regaining the majority next year in the Senate.

He pointed to other races last week that haven’t received as much national attention, but which, he said, also bode well for Democrats.

“I think the results on Tuesday — which were very decisive in the states that you mentioned, but also in Georgia, in Mississippi, in Pennsylvania, all across the country, up and down the polls, including races that didn’t get the same level of attention — show that there is a real path forward,” Jefferies said.

“Of course” this is true in the House, “where we are only three seats short now,” he said, adding, “When we flipped the House in 2018, we were 24 seats short.”

“But there is also a strong and viable path forward in the Senate,” he added, “because the American people have a lot going for them, and they want a government that really puts them first, which is what the Republicans are doing, which is prioritizing the rich, the affluent and the well-connected.”