Rep.Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is facing mounting backlash from some Black leaders over her decision to seek re-election in a majority-minority district, a move that appears to be costing her support from the highest-ranking Black Democrat in Congress.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declined to endorse Wasserman Schultz's re-election bid Tuesday after she entered the race for the plurality-Black district, where she faces four Black opponents in the Aug.
18 primary."Haven't made a decision, as it relates to that particular race," the lead Democrat said at a news conference when asked if he supports Wasserman Schultz’s run for the Fort Lauderdale-based seat.Jeffries said he’s spoken to Wasserman Schultz, a member of his leadership team, about the race, but stopped short of offering his support.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, accompanied by Rep.Debbie Wasserman Schultz, speaks at a Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct.
22, 2025.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DEMOCRATS SAY THEY CAN STILL FLIP THE HOUSE DESPITE GOP REDISTRICTING GAINS IN THE SOUTH"Everybody has a right to run where they see fit.
They’ve got to make their case to the people that they hope to represent moving forward," he said."I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment in terms of an unprecedented Jim Crow-like assault on Black political representation that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court's outrageous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act," he added, invoking the court's ruling in Louisiana v.Callais, which curbed the use of race in the drawing of electoral districts and spurred redistricting in several Republican-led states affecting majority-minority districts represented by Black Democrats. "And it's an environment that all of us need to be sensitive to as we move forward," he said.Jeffries' comments come as Wasserman Schultz seeks to weather fierce criticism from so...