Jeffries Says Democrats Will Focus on Affordability, Not Revenge, After Midterm Wins

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Wednesday that Democrats expect to win at least 255 House seats once counting ends, and that the party will focus on lowering costs rather than seeking revenge against President Donald Trump. Speaking at a news conference a day after the midterm elections, Jeffries called the result an American tsunami and said Democrats had taken control of both chambers of Congress. He is set to become the first Black Speaker when the new Congress convenes in January. On MS NOW's Morning Joe, he said voters want results because life is too expensive. He had said on Fox News Sunday that lowering the cost of living was his top priority, and the New Republic reported he has not prioritized impeaching Trump. Al Jazeera noted that Trump has threatened vetoes of bills he opposes.

Among the winners, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., beat Republican state Sen. John Braun, the AP reported, in a district Trump carried in 2024. She had sided with Republicans on two procedural votes in September, which drew a public rebuke from Jeffries.

Left-leaning outlets center on Jeffries and his agenda. The New Republic reports his rejection of impeachment and getting even, then argues in its own voice that Democrats should go further against Trump and his Cabinet. The New York Times offers a profile of Jeffries as a Brooklyn-raised, cautious moderate. Right-leaning outlets differ in emphasis. Fox News leads with Gluesenkamp Perez's win and the friction she could cause Jeffries on key votes, including the rebuke and calls from other Democrats to remove her from the Appropriations Committee. RealClearPolitics instead carries Jeffries' Morning Joe remarks, using his line about getting things done as its headline. Both sides cover the Morning Joe remarks. Al Jazeera and NewsNation largely echo the victory and affordability message.