House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on Sunday that the Republican Party has "nothing to run on" for the upcoming congressional midterm elections, citing President Donald Trump's failure to deliver on campaign promises to reduce costs and avoid foreign wars. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union exactly 100 days before the November 3 midterms, Jeffries outlined the Democratic strategy to regain control of both the House and Senate.
Trump's broken promises
Jeffries pointed to Trump's unfulfilled pledges, including lowering costs on day one and ending endless wars in the Middle East. Instead, he argued, costs have risen and the U.S. is engaged in a "reckless war of choice in Iran" that began in February after Trump won a second term in 2024. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of 18 U.S. service members and hundreds of injuries, while gas and grocery prices have soared. According to exclusive polling for the Guardian, 95% of Americans believe the U.S. is experiencing an affordability crisis.
Republican strategy on voter fraud
Jeffries also addressed Republican efforts to highlight a recent voter registration error in New Jersey, where 6,600 noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote. Fewer than 400 voted before the error was corrected. Jeffries argued that Republicans are using this to distract from their own record, saying they prefer to focus on false claims of widespread noncitizen voting rather than confront the consequences of Trump's foreign policy and economic failures.
Democratic focus on affordability
Jeffries emphasized that Democrats will campaign on making life more affordable for Americans. He noted that Republicans cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid last year, adding: "They have nothing to run on. We're going to run on fighting for an affordable America." He described the struggles of working families: "Too many people are working hard – they're playing by the rules, but they can't thrive. And they can barely survive, not enough food on the table, not enough gas in the tank."
Midterm outlook
A recent analysis from Decision Desk HQ forecasts that Democrats are likely to win a majority in the House, while Republicans are narrowly favored to retain control of the Senate. Jeffries' comments underscore the Democratic strategy to tie Republican candidates to Trump's record as the midterms approach.
