Hakeem Jeffries Melts Down After Dem Congressman Endorses GOP Colleague: ‘Partisan Hack’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) lashed out at U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) after he decided to reach across the aisle and endorse Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), one of the most bipartisan members of congress, in his tightly-contested re-election campaign.

Golden, who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and announced in November 2025 that he would not seek another term, wrote that Lawler had been “a true partner” on legislation. He highlighted their work on the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, which would extend a pause on certain federal whale-protection regulations affecting Maine’s lobster industry until 2035.

Golden noted that Lawler signed onto the bill even though his district has no lobster boats. The measure advanced with bipartisan support. Golden also cited Lawler’s support for restoring collective bargaining rights for federal employees and for extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.

He referenced the Lugar Center’s Bipartisanship Index, which ranked Lawler among the more bipartisan members of the House, when announcing the endorsement in an op-ed with The Journal News.

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Retiring Democrat Jared Golden just endorsed Republican Mike Lawler for reelection, pointing to their work together on lobster protections and federal worker rights. pic.twitter.com/670j5Ax16h

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In the op-ed, Golden wrote that competitive districts require members to work with people who disagree with them. “Representing districts like ours forces you to work for people who disagree with you, and it teaches you that those people are not your enemies. They are your neighbors,” he said.

He added, “The country needs fewer members who treat the job as a stage and more who treat it as work. In New York’s Hudson Valley this fall, that is the choice on the ballot. … I strongly back him, and I hope voters send him back to work. Wherever you live, find the members who pass laws with the other party, and keep them.”

Lawler described the endorsement as “an honor and a privilege.” He said the two lawmakers, from different parties and states, had worked “to find common ground on issues that matter both to us and our constituents” and shared a belief that “what’s best for the people should come before one’s party.”

Jeffries rejected the characterization of Lawler as bipartisan. In statements, he called Lawler “a partisan hack and Trump sycophant” and “an unadulterated phony who has never shown bipartisan courage when it matters.”

Jeffries said Lawler “voted to rip Medicaid away from the people he represents, continues to rubber-stamp the reckless war of choice in Iran and blindly supports the Trump tariffs.” He described the endorsement as an “11th-hour” and “smoke-and-mirrors ploy” from a retiring member whose district is more than 400 miles away.

“This smoke-and-mirrors ploy will do nothing to change the outcome of the race,” Jeffries said. “The election will be decided by the people of Westchester and the lower Hudson Valley. … Mike Lawler can try to run from his extremist record. We will never let him hide.”

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