House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has publicly endorsed a new crop of congressional nominees, including three Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates whose primary victories have fueled debate over the Democratic Party’s leftward shift ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Controversy Over Socialist Candidates

The three candidates, Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, have faced scrutiny over their support for defunding the police, anti-Israel rhetoric, and other positions that have put them at odds with many in the Democratic Party. Chevalier has also faced criticism for past social media posts, including one in which she called to ‘literally abolish the border.’

Jeffries’ decision to congratulate the nominees has drawn criticism from some Democrats and Republicans, who argue that the party is revealing its true values by embracing socialist candidates. The Republican Jewish Coalition blasted Jeffries’ congratulatory message, warning Jewish voters that these candidates are not the Democrat ‘fringe’ but the new faces of the party.

Former National Security Council and State Department official Jamie Metzl also criticized Jeffries, saying that he is putting his bid to become House speaker ahead of the Democratic Party’s principles. ‘To welcome these nominees without acknowledging and criticizing their self-declared sympathies for U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, their calls to abolish the police, their stated desire to dismantle Western civilization, and their blatant anti-Americanism is to sacrifice the core principles of the Democratic Party,’ Metzl wrote.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.