Speaker Johnson mocks Jeffries as Democrats face primary defeats in New York

Speaker Mike Johnson traveled to Virginia Beach, where he referenced House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries while describing a string of primary wins by Democratic Socialist-aligned candidates in New York. Johnson noted that Adriano Espaillat lost to Darializa Avila Chevalier in the Bronx-Upper Manhattan district and that Dan Goldman was defeated by former DSA member Brad Lander in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, both races backed by Jeffries.

He added that a DSA-endorsed candidate, Claire Valdez, captured a Brooklyn-Queens seat previously held by Nydia Velázquez, even though Jeffries did not endorse that race. Johnson portrayed these results as a sign of a civil war within the Democratic Party and suggested they benefit Republicans seeking to hold their slim House majority. When asked for a response, Jeffries referred to a recent interview in which he expressed confidence that the Democratic caucus would retain or grow its numbers.