Jeffries Losing Support, Dozens of Dems Won’t Commit To Backing Him Jeffries Losing Support, Dozens of Dems Won’t Commit To Backing Him 
Dozens of Democratic candidates running for U.S. House seats nationwide told Axios they either would not support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for party leader or were not prepared to commit to voting for him.
The responses suggest growing unease within some parts of the Democratic Party about its current leadership as the 2026 election cycle approaches, the outlet reported this week.
Since assuming the role of Democratic leader in 2022, Hakeem Jeffries has maintained unanimous support within his caucus. That unity, however, may be tested in the next Congress amid rising frustration from grassroots activists, particularly on the party’s left flank.
While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has drawn much of the criticism from progressive circles this year, Jeffries is increasingly becoming a focal point of dissatisfaction as well, Axios noted.
Axios contacted nearly every Democrat running for a U.S. House seat considered potentially winnable for the party in 2026, receiving responses from 113 candidates through phone interviews or written statements.
Of those surveyed, 20 said they would not vote for Hakeem Jeffries as speaker or minority leader, while another five indicated they were likely to oppose him. Fifty-seven candidates declined to commit to supporting Jeffries, describing it as too early to decide or citing concerns over ideology, strategy, messaging, or leadership style.
Only 24 respondents said they would definitely back Jeffries, and seven more said they were likely to do so, the outlet said.
However, his office pushed back on the narrative that he’s lost support.
“Leader Jeffries is focused on battling Donald Trump, ending the Republican shutdown of the federal government and addressing the crushing GOP health care crisis,” Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol told Axios.
Many of the Democrats expressing skepticism toward Hakeem Jeffries are political outsiders or long-shot candidates, while several front-runners in key battleground races declined to respond to Axios’ inquiries. Still, a number of Jeffries’ critics and noncommittal candidates have credible paths to winning seats in Congress.
Among them are Daniel Biss and Kat Abughazaleh, two leading contenders in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), both of whom stopped short of pledging to support Jeffries.
Other prominent challengers — including Luke Bronin, Donavan McKinney, Mai Vang, Saikat Chakrabarti, and Patrick Roath — have also withheld their support. Each is running well-funded campaigns aimed at unseating long-serving Democratic incumbents.
Heath Howard, a New Hampshire state representative running for an open U.S. House seat, told Axios regarding the Democratic leader: “I think we need to have a new type of leadership that’s … going to fight back significantly harder against the Trump administration.”
Abughazaleh, meanwhile, told Axios she will support a leader who is “taking actual action against this administration” and that the left should use “our leverage to demand progressive change.”
“We’ve got to see improvement, without question,” Amanda Edwards, who was a member of the Houston city council and is now running in a Texas special election, told the outlet.
Harry Jarin, a firefighter mounting a primary challenge to former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), told Axios: “The anger of the base right now is not being matched by Democratic leadership … and that is going to have to change one way or another.”
A recurring theme among candidates who declined to back Jeffries was his refusal to endorse socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — a decision that has also become a source of frustration among left-wing members of Congress.
“His refusal to endorse Zohran makes me nervous that, if I were to become the nominee in my race, he and the party would not support me,” noted Jacob Lawrence, who is set to challenged Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.).
Chakrabarti, when asked whether he would support for Jeffries, quipped: “What is it that Hakeem said about endorsing Zohran? ‘I’ll have conversations with him and see where it goes.’”
Love Without Crowns: William and Kate Caught Adrift in Greece, Until a Subtle Gesture Froze the Palace in Silence 
Love Without Crowns: William and Kate Caught Adrift in Greece, Until a Subtle Gesture Froze the Palace in Silence Love Without Crowns: William and Kate Caught Adrift in Greece, Until a Subtle Gesture Froze the Palace in Silence
Beneath the blazing sun and the turquoise waves of the Aegean Sea, Prince William and Princess Kate were unexpectedly spotted swimming together at a secluded beach in Greece — a moment so intimate, it felt like it belonged to a world far removed from royalty. Kate wore an elegant ivory one-piece swimsuit, her hair tied in a loose bun, her face glowing without makeup. William, casual in navy swim trunks, looked more like a carefree husband than the future King of England.
No entourage. No press. Just the two of them, splashing in the waves, racing each other, laughing freely under the Mediterranean sky. One eyewitness shared, “I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were so normal. So in love. Like they had escaped the world.”
A photo taken discreetly by a French tourist captured Kate playfully splashing water at William as he tried to outswim her. The two laughed uncontrollably before laying down side by side on sun loungers, fingers interlocked, gazes soft and serene. They weren’t looking at the camera. They weren’t performing. They were just being. The images sparked a tidal wave of reactions online. Many praised them as the most beautiful royal photos in years — raw, real, and deeply human.
Others criticized the public intimacy, questioning whether such behavior aligns with royal decorum. Rumors even surfaced that the trip was kept entirely off Buckingham Palace’s books — fueling speculation: was this merely a summer getaway, or a quiet rebellion against duty? The Palace has yet to comment. But one thing is clear: beneath the Grecian sun, William and Kate were not Prince and Princess. They were simply William and Kate — two souls, two hearts, and one boundless ocean of freedom before them.
How did Prince William and Kate Middleton spend their summer holidays? On board a luxury super yacht in Greece, according to sources The Wales family are said to have travelled around the coast of Kefalonia, enjoying snorkelling and sunbathing on their peaceful break
Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, pictured earlier this year during an engagement in Scotland
Samir Hussein
They were last spotted enjoying their customary break with the rest of the royal family in Scotland – but Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children jetted off on a rather more glamorous holiday earlier this summer. It\’s recently been revealed that the Wales family spent some time in July aboard a luxury superyacht, sailing around the coast of Kefalonia: a trip shrouded in utmost secrecy to ensure a tranquil (and deeply private) few days of rest and relaxation.
Kefalonia is often described as the ‘St Tropez of Greece’ for the way it attracts the rich, famous and aristocratic – think Demi Moore, Tom Parker Bowles and Jade Holland Cooper. And with its clear blue waters, storied caves ready for exploration and the glamorous port town of Fiskardo (ideal for a spot of shopping or a see-and-be-seen dinner) it\’s no wonder the beautiful Greek island has earned such a reputation. Just this summer, basketball star Michael Jordan and the Emirati royal family have been sunning themselves by the Kefalonian coast, aboard their respective yachts.And according to
MailOnline the Prince and Princess of Wales followed suit, reportedly borrowing the Lady Beatrice for their holiday, a 197ft yacht owned by British financier and entrepreneur Peter Dubens. Decorated in lavish style (complete with faux Greek columns and a Renaissance-style fresco ceiling in the dining room) the vessel can accommodate 16 passengers, and boasts a pool on its top deck – should those aboard tire of swimming in crystal clear oceans. Dubens, the founder of private equity firm Oakley Capital, has no known connection with William and Kate; however, his firm was brought in two years ago as an investor by Thomas\’s Battersea, the school formerly attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
It\’s thought that the royal party – which included Kate\’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, as well as four other as-yet unknown relatives – flew into Kefalonia by private jet on 21 July, ready to board the Lady Beatrice, which had been cruising the Ionian seas around Kalamos prior to their arrival. It\’s reported that just after 9am on the day Prince William, Kate Middleton and their family touched down, the yacht disappeared from marine tracking systems – suggesting that the yacht\’s Automatic Identification System had been switched off, ensuring total privacy for those on board.
Peter Dubens (right, pictured in 2014) owns the Lady Beatrice, the 197ft yacht which William and Kate are said to have borrowed
David M. Benett/Getty Images Most Popular 
According to local press, the royals were zipped from their plane to Agia Pelagia, a small marina five minutes south of the airport, before being taken by tender to the yacht. A piece in The Kefalonia Press, as reported by The Daily Mail, said that ‘the children impressed with their politeness and patience during the procedures and inconveniences of the trip,’ and that Prince George in particular showed a deep love for the island. It\’s understood that at one point, the yacht\’s staff headed ashore to pick up snorkelling equipment for the heir to the throne, who was apparently ‘fascinated by the seabed of Kefalonia’.
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The whole family remained on board the Lady Beatrice for five days, heading home on the 26 July. Their trip may have been cut short by the Lionesses steady route to victory: on the 27 July, Prince William and Princess Charlotte flew to Switzerland to cheer on their home team in the Euros final the day after.
In August, the royals could be seen driving to a church service in Scotland, as they spent time with the rest of the family at Balmoral
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
The following month, the fivesome were back together again in Scotland, making the most of their annual break on the Balmoral estate with the rest of the royals. Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children were spotted heading to a church service at Crathie Kirk in their Range Rover, the Princess showing off hair lightened by the Greek sun. The yearly trip north of the border is a long-held tradition for the whole royal family, who decamp to Scotland every summer to fish, ride and walk. William and Kate tend not to stay in the 52-bedroom castle like many of the family, however. Instead, they and their family can be found in their own cottage, nestled in a secluded spot on the 5,000 acre estate.
The couple are said to hold particular affection for Scotland, where they began their romance as St Andrews students
OLI SCARFF/Getty Images
Gifted to the Prince by his late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, just before she died in 2002, Tam-Na-Ghar is outwardly small and simple. A three-bedroom cottage built in the traditional style of Scottish lodges, it is said to be one of the Wales family\’s most special homes, both for the memories it holds and the privacy it offers. While it was not until 2009 that Kate went to Balmoral on an official visit, she has been a regular at Tam-Na-Ghar ever since she began dating William in 2001. While they were students at St Andrews University, the couple would reportedly escape to the cottage for some alone time, hiding away at the bolthole in order to avoid the paparazzi. According to close sources, the couple have told friends that Tam-Na-Ghar is the site of some of their happiest times together over the years.
Whether they\’re enjoying bracing walks on the moors of Scotland or stretching out in the Greek sunshine, it\’s clear that for William and Kate, the essential ingredients for a summer holiday are relatively simple: guaranteed privacy and plenty of time to relax with their family.