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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has won re-election in New York's 8th Congressional District, defeating Republican challenger Lewis Mizrahi in Tuesday's election.
Unofficial results, with 87.28% of precincts reporting, gave Jeffries 128,197 votes to Mizrahi's 31,969, about 79% of the vote.
Jeffries, 56, has led House Democrats since January 2023. His district includes Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie and Coney Island.
Democrats' victory in the 2026 midterm elections, reclaiming the House after four years of Republican control, puts Jeffries in line to become the first Black speaker. He has not yet been elected speaker: House Democrats will gather later in November to choose their candidate, and the full House will vote for speaker when the new Congress convenes on January 3. He would need a majority of members present and voting.
In a victory speech late Tuesday, Jeffries proclaimed, "Today begins the great American comeback," and pledged to pass legislation reversing steep Medicaid spending cuts enacted July 4, 2025.
The new Democratic majority will be sworn in the first week of January. The final size of the majority was still unclear, with votes still being counted. The speaker is second in line for the presidency after Vice President JD Vance.
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