Rep. Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are “on the verge of taking back control” as he visits 2 key House battlegrounds

October 11, 2026 / 4:10 PM EDT / CBS News

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed growing confidence that his party will regain control of the House in November, as he visited two battleground districts in recent days to help Democratic candidates unseat Republican incumbents.

Jeffries campaigned Friday in New Jersey's competitive 7th Congressional District alongside Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett, a Navy veteran seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. The following day, he traveled to Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District to rally with Democrat Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner challenging Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

The two districts are heavily suburban, fairly affluent and politically divided — and they've caused heartburn for Democrats in recent years. The moderate Fitzpatrick has a long history of outrunning other Republicans and winning crossover support since he was first elected in 2016. Control of Kean's seat has flipped twice since 2018, but he narrowly won a competitive reelection two years ago.

Democrats have invested in both races this year and view both of them as highly competitive, as they hope to take advantage of an unfavorable political environment for President Trump's party.

"We're running through the finish line. We take nothing for granted…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/