Democrats will stop Trump from trying to nationalize midterms, Jeffries says [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Sun 8 Feb 2026 12.41 EST
Last modified on Sun 8 Feb 2026 12.43 EST


Democrats will stop Donald Trump from trying to steal this year’s midterm elections, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives said on Sunday.

Jeffries comments come amid widespread concern after Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting”. The US constitution gives states the power to set election rules and says Congress can pass laws to set requirements for federal elections. The constitution gives the president no authority over how elections are run.

“What Donald Trump wants to do is try and nationalize the election – translation: steal it. And we’re not going to let it happen,” Jeffries said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union. He added that Democrats so far had successfully blocked Trump’s efforts to federalize the national guard countered a nationwide push by Republicans to redraw congressional district boundaries to their advantage.

“This is going to be a free and fair election,” Jeffries said. It “is going to be conducted like every other election where states and localities have the ability to administer the laws”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/08/democrats-trump-nationalizing-midterms-hakeem-jeffries