The GOP's 'election denier' attack on Hakeem Jeffries, explained
On Nov. 30, congressional Democrats elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as their new party leader for the coming legislative term, replacing outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who earlier announced plans to step back from the role she's held for decades.
Jeffries, long considered a "rising star" in Democratic politics, is now the first Black lawmaker to lead a major political party in American history. But within hours of securing his new position, conservatives began coalescing around a new — and for many, surprising — label for Jeffries: "election denier."
Who is saying it?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The official political body of the GOP, the Republican National Committee, lead the charge against Jeffries by blasting out a press bulletin and accompanying tweet labeling the new Democratic leader an "election denier" who they claimed is "just as unhinged, crazy, and far left" as Pelosi.
While the line of attack on Jeffries had, itself, been floated several weeks earlier by the RNC, it was amplified in the immediate wake of his intra-party election by major conservative media outlets, and — crucially — given the imprimatur of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) himself. Speaking on the Senate floor the morning after Jeffries' election, McConnell labeled the new minority leader "a past election denier, who basically said the 2016 election was 'illegitimate' and suggested that we had a 'fake president'" as part of an extended speech on the alleged hypocrisies of the left.
Other conservative lawmakers and commentators have echoed the charge, including former Donald Trump administration physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
What has Jeffries said?
During his time in office — and specifically during the years under the Trump administration — Jeffries has repeatedly criticized the former president, and the GOP as a whole, for both complacency in documented Russian efforts to subvert the 2016 presidential election, as well as proactive efforts to manipulate the 2020 race.
Does that mean Jeffries is, in fact, an "election denier"?
In so much as Jeffries has indeed called the legitimacy of the Trump presidency into question, the label could technically apply here. However, nothing he's said has been substantively different from statements made by other major figures in the Democratic party, including Hillary Clinton, Rep. John Lewis (R-Ga.), former President Jimmy Carter, and current President Joe Biden. Relatedly, conservative efforts to newly frame Jeffries' comments stretching back years as a hypocritical reflection on the Democrats ignores Trump's active and ongoing manipulation of the electoral process for his own future benefit.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is a town for all seasons
The Week Recommends Fall, winter, spring and summer all usher in new activities
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
What went wrong at CVS?
Today's Big Question Pharmacy chains are in crisis
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Russia's best investment
Opinion Eric Adams isn't the only politician with foreign benefactors
By William Falk Published
-
The most notable October surprises
In the Spotlight Late breaking news in October has the power to rock presidential races
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Liz Cheney campaigns with Harris in Wisconsin
Speed Read The pair does not agree on much politically, but they share an anti-Trump stance
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Harris visit storm-hit North Carolina, Georgia
Speed Read President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took separate tours of the south to view the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'The patient, our home planet Earth, is in critical condition'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Jack Smith filing details Jan. 6 case against Trump
Speed Read The special counsel's newly unsealed brief argues Trump is not immune from prosecution and gives new details on his efforts to overturn the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Raising children yourself doesn't end up making a ton of economic sense'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is Mark Robinson a GOP fluke or an inevitability of MAGA conservatism?
Today's Big Question Revelations about the North Carolina Republican's porn forum comments are shocking, but for those who've followed the gubernatorial candidate's career in politics, they're not necessarily a surprise
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-