Jeffries declines to back Wasserman Schultz as Black leaders revolt over district switch

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.

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"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 some local Black leaders over her decision to run in the district. The seat has been represented by a Black lawmaker for more than three decades.

Elijah Manley, a progressive Gen-Z activist running in the Democratic primary, slammed Wasserman Schultz in a statement posted to social media.

"First, she said the CBC [Congressional Black Caucus] encouraged her to run. The CBC Chair said they did not," Manley wrote. "Then she went on TV and said that Leader Jeffries was supporting her. Jeffries just declined to endorse her."

"It is not a good day to be named Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida’s 20th District," he continued.

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Wasserman Schultz, however, will likely have a significant fundraising advantage over her primary opponents. Her campaign account has more than $2.5 million in the bank, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., previously occupied the solidly blue seat before she resigned amid an expulsion threat and House Ethics Committee investigation earlier this year. Cherfilus-McCormick is running again for the seat despite facing a pending criminal trial tied to allegedly stealing more than $5 million in disaster relief funds, among other charges.

Former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness and musician Luther Campbell are also vying for the Democratic nomination.

Florida Republicans carved up Wasserman Schultz’s safe Democratic seat as part of a new GOP-friendly congressional map signed into law in May.

Wasserman Schultz previously served as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, during which her tenure was rocked by the release of internal emails disparaging Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. She first won election to the House in 2004.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Wasserman Schultz campaign before publication.