Democrat · New York's 8th District · 2026
Hakeem Jeffries
Jeffries grew up in Crown Heights with a social worker for a mother and a counselor for a father.
Biography
Hakeem Jeffries grew up in Crown Heights with a mother who was a social worker and a father who worked as a substance abuse counselor.1 While studying public policy at Georgetown, he shared an apartment with future Washington mayor Adrian Fenty.1 At NYU Law, he found friends and mentors through the Black Allied Law Students Association and worked in a juvenile rights clinic.2
He earned a political science degree from Binghamton, a public policy master's from Georgetown and a law degree from NYU.3 Before elected office, he clerked for a federal judge, practiced litigation at Paul Weiss and worked as a corporate lawyer for Viacom and CBS.3 He served six years in the State Assembly before entering Congress in 2013.3
Jeffries helped lead House Democratic work on the First Step Act with Republican Doug Collins; the criminal justice legislation became law in 2018.4 Its provisions included relief from earlier crack cocaine sentencing disparities and expanded preparation for people returning home from prison.4 Back in his district, he holds outdoor office hours at neighborhood corners and post offices.4
He is the 8th District's Democratic candidate.5 As the House's top Democrat, his campaign also carries national leadership stakes.4 His priorities include lowering living costs and protecting health coverage; in January 2026, he helped lead House passage of an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits.4
Record and controversies
College editorial
In a 1992 college editorial, Jeffries called Black conservatives "token Blacks" and "right-wing opportunists," and defended his uncle Leonard Jeffries and Louis Farrakhan against media criticism.6 He also wrote that he was not seeking to restrict Black political thought to one ideology.6
In 2023, following antisemitism criticism, his office said he did not share his uncle's controversial views.7