Hakeem Jeffries

Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader who could become the nation’s first Black speaker next year, has watched this term as Mike Johnson, the current Republican speaker, struggled with tight margins and an unruly membership, making the House virtually ungovernable.

Should he succeed in executing Democrats’ plan to take over the chamber, Mr. Jeffries could find himself in a similar bind.

A wave of young, anti-establishment candidates who are refusing to pledge their support to Mr. Jeffries have triumphed in recent primaries across the country, in large part because Democratic voters are reconsidering the party’s longtime support for Israel. Those wins have underscored deep frustration with the status quo and party leaders whom many voters view as captured by special interests and not fighting hard enough to change a system that is failing them.

Mr. Jeffries, who has led House Democrats in the minority since 2022, in some ways embodies that establishment mold. He is a cautious politician whom the left views as holding back some of its progressive goals, but who takes pride in having kept the caucus mostly united in fighting back against President Trump.

His controlled approach was on display on Tuesday at his office in Brooklyn, where he gave a wide-ranging, 45-minute interview, his first since the primaries. He played down the significance of the left-wing surge, an approach that is not likely to mollify those seeking compromises from Democratic leadership.

“I don’t think we’re going to have that problem,” Mr. Jeffries said of potential troubles with his left flank, “and I also don’t think we’re going to have that tight of a majority, as was the case with Mike Johnson.” He compared the current political environment to the 2018 midterms during Mr. Trump’s first term, when Democrats won 41 seats.

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