MANCHESTER, N.H. – U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) headlined Friday night’s New Hampshire Democratic Party Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester.
After thanking and praising New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation for their work in Washington, Jeffries got rousing applause from the audience after noting the news from earlier in the day that George Santos (R-NY-03) had been expelled, joking that it was perhaps the only time Santos ever received applause from Democrats.
Jeffries also stated that American democracy was under its greatest threat since the Civil War, recalling his time on the House floor on Jan. 6, 2021, and celebrating the fact that the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election was completed later that day despite the events that unfolded.
However, most of Jeffries speech focused on legislation passed by the Democratic majority that was in place in the House prior to 2022, such as the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act and the American Rescue Plan Act among others.
“The D in Democrat stands for ‘deliver’,” he said.
Like several of the other prominent New Hampshire Democrats who spoke earlier in the evening, Jeffries also voiced his support for President Joe Biden, praising his accomplishments and urging the crowd to support him moving forward.
“Teddy Roosevelt had the Square Deal, FDR had the New Deal, Truman had the Fair Deal, but what President Biden, Democrats and all of us have accomplished in the last few years is a big deal,” he said.
Despite the endorsement of Biden, Jeffries also welcomed U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), who is visiting New Hampshire this week as part of his campaign for the Democratic nomination for President.
Talking to reporters after the dinner, Phillips brushed off the support of Biden by speakers throughout the evening, reiterating his belief that Biden cannot defeat Donald Trump in 2024.
“I know what these people say being closed doors and that’s what this is all about, I’m just saying the quiet part out loud and I will continue to,” said Phillips. “I will continue to have love and great affection for many of the people that spoke tonight, many are my colleagues, but we all see the polls, we all see the numbers, we all know the truth.”