MarketPR
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries congratulated three Democratic Socialists of America-affiliated nominees Saturday, publicly embracing Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier — two of whom defeated Jeffries-backed incumbents in last week's primaries — as he moves to consolidate the party ahead of November's midterms.
The decision drew immediate criticism from within and outside the Democratic Party, exposing a tension between tactical unity and ideological distance that Jeffries will need to manage if Democrats reclaim the House and he ascends to the speakership.
The Nominees and the Primary Shift Lander and Chevalier unseated incumbents Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, respectively — both of whom Jeffries had endorsed.
Valdez won an open seat, a race in which Jeffries took no side.
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