Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has raised more than $33 million in fundraising during his first quarter as House minority leader.
Jeffries took over the mantle from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) once she stepped down from the position after 20 years following the 2022 midterm elections. Jeffries credited the fundraising success with holding "extreme MAGA Republicans accountable."
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“Our historic grassroots support is a testament to the faith and trust Americans have in Democrats to hold extreme MAGA Republicans accountable, take back the House in 2024 and continue our work delivering For The People by lowering costs, creating better-paying jobs and making our communities safe,” he told NBC News.
While Jeffries credits the fundraising as coming from grassroots support, the outlet reported that a fair chunk came from a network of donors he has cultivated while in his position. He has spent nearly a third of his first 100 days traveling from state to state, largely to court donors. So far, he has clocked 20,000 miles across nine states.
Jeffries's statement about the large fundraising total being due to his party combating "MAGA extremism" has become a theme of his tenure as House minority leader. Last month, he said that the Republican Party had become extremist.
"The American people rejected political street extremism all throughout the country in the most recent midterm elections in 2022," the New York Democrat said. "And it's my expectation that they will continue to do so moving forward. It is unfortunate that the extreme has become mainstream for this version of the Republican Party."
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The House minority leader's fundraising total isn't unprecedented, as his predecessor reportedly raised over $32 million in the first quarter of 2021 alone.
Jeffries was bested by his Republican counterpart, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who raised $38 million, setting a record, according to Axios.