Democrat Hakeem Jeffries stumps in California in a bid to reclaim House control
LOS ANGELES — Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries crossed Southern California this weekend in communities far from the presidential battlefields — Little Saigon in Orange County and the high desert of Antelope Valley — as he tries to wrest control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Republicans.
The Golden State is a Democratic stronghold, but the party lost seats in the House of Representatives here in the recent elections, where the gavel was given to the Republicans. Jeffries, who is poised to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives if Democrats regain control in November, must pick up four Republican seats to regain the majority — and five more are being watched here in California , more than any other state in the US. the nation.
“California is an incredibly important state at any time, but especially this cycle given the number of races that will help decide control of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries told The Associated Press between stops.
With the race ahead control of Congress As tight as ever, Democrats are trying to reverse what they see as the shortcomings of recent election cycles, when Republicans scored victories in unexpected places, including districts. Joe Biden had just won in 2020.
Not just California, but Jeffries’ home state of New York has become the surprising blue state battleground. to succeed in the congressional elections and determine which party wins the majority in the House of Representatives and the speaker’s seat.
Jeffries didn’t have the state to himself this weekend. Donald Trumpthe Republican candidate for the White House, declared California a “paradise lost” among Democrats, who hold every office across the state, as he rallied MAGA supporters in Coachella on the grounds of the iconic annual music festival.
The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson was also out of state and attending private events in California, including in South Orange County, as he works to save and possibly expand his party’s majority. Republicans are trying to flip Democratic seats. Johnson was at an event for the Republican candidate Matt Gundersona newcomer who is Democratic Rep. Mike Levin.
“I believe that the Republicans will win the House of Representatives and increase the majority in the House,” Johnson told CBS.
In what was once Republican bastion Orange County, Jeffries landed Saturday in Anaheim, home of Little Saigon, a community with more Vietnamese Americans than anywhere else in the country, many of whom have settled and raised families in waves of post-war migration. Vietnam War.
At a restaurant and banquet hall not far from Disneyland, a who’s who of Vietnamese community leaders and entertainers gathered in support of Democratic candidate Derek Tran, who would become the first Vietnamese-American to represent the area in its nearly 50 years of existence . He challenges the incumbent Republican Party, Rep. Michelle Steelwho won for the first time in 2020.
“This will be a close race,” Jeffries told the crowd, noting that if elected, Tran would be the only Vietnamese American in the House of Representatives Democratic caucus. “It’s important.”
Miles away in the far reaches of Los Angeles County, where the aerospace industry shares space with Joshua Trees, Jeffries gathered more than 200 volunteers who showed up early Sunday morning at a union hall of machinists and aerospace workers in Palmdale to knock on doors. to get out of the mood.
It is the only congressional seat in Los Angeles County held by a Republican representative. Mike Garciaa Navy fighter pilot who served in the Iraq War and won office for the first time in 2020. Trying to dethrone him is a Democrat George Whitesidesa former NASA chief of staff and director of Virgin Galactic, and a newcomer to politics.
Republicans continue to have confidence in their candidates and message, especially in California, where Democrats have so much power.
“The races in Southern California are always competitive, but Republicans continue to have success,” said Lance Trover, a Republican strategist who works on both the Steel and Gunderson campaigns.
Before sending out the volunteers, Jeffries went through his route of the past few weeks — from Phoenix to Portland to Albuquerque to New Haven, Connecticut to New York to Pennsylvania to Ohio and now California — all key races to win the House, in addition to Vice President Kamala Harristhe Democratic presidential candidate.
Dave Guttman, an aerospace engineer from Pasadena who volunteered for Democrats in previous elections, including for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, said he did not want to sit out this election. “You just have to try,” he said. He said he ended up knocking on 35 doors.