Congressional dad bod grows as Jeffries joins Dads Caucus

Jim Saksa, CQ-Roll Call on Jan 22, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Hakeem Jeffries, a parent of two, made his fatherhood status congressionally official Wednesday by joining the Dads Caucus.

The minority leader’s move signals how top Democrats plan to respond to their 2024 election losses by making concerted efforts to court men, who have shifted significantly rightward since the 2020 contest, said the caucus’ founder and chair, Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif.

“Jeffries joining really does send a message that the Dads Caucus has been doing the hard work, that we are expanding, and that we’re going to be important in the messaging fights and policy fights to come,” Gomez said in an interview. “We’ve got to be more about the average American who’s struggling and wants to get ahead, plain and simple.”

“For far too long in this country, the cost of raising a child has gone up and too many parents are struggling to put food on the table,” Jeffries said in a press release. “As a proud father of two, I’m looking forward to working alongside the Congressional Dads Caucus to ensure that every parent has the resources they need to support their families.”

Gomez started the Dads Caucus in 2023 after he caused a stir by voting in the speakership election with his 4-month-old son strapped to his chest in an infant carrier. The attention made him recognize a double standard in parenting, where fathers often get praised for doing basic tasks that go unnoticed when mothers do them. So, Gomez thought, why not use that extra attention to push for pro-family policies?

A few weeks later, the group was born with a “fundamental belief” that “dads need to do more of our part both at home and in Congress advocating for policies that uplift parents and children across the country,” according to the group’s website.

Party leaders often eschew joining caucuses due to their busy schedules, although Jeffries has maintained his membership in the Congressional Black Caucus since rising to lead House Democrats in 2023.

Gomez said he approached Jeffries earlier this year, asking how the Dads Caucus could help the party win back the electorate by focusing on supporting families. By the end of the meeting, Jeffries told Gomez to add him to the group.

So far, the Dads Caucus has mostly stuck to issues like reducing child care costs, which often get labeled as “women’s issues.” Framing it as something dads have to deal with helps fight that kind of default pigeonholing by gender, Gomez said.

“You’re a woman, you work on these issues. If you’re a man, you work on these issues,” he said. “But that’s not what our constituents want. They want people to step up and fight for their interests.”

Gomez expects the Dads Caucus will expand its portfolio this year, with particular attention on affordability in housing, child care and health care. “The way I look at it is, we’re going to fight for families,” he said. “Having families that can afford to buy a house; is that a man’s issue or a woman’s issue? A family that is struggling with mental health; is that a man’s issue or a woman’s issue?”

Too often, Gomez said, Democrats come off as aloof or uncaring to voters by focusing too heavily on economic data like GDP growth or shifts in core inflation rates. “Nobody gives a shit about those economic indicators,” he said. By framing issues around parental experiences — like how much more they pay at the grocery store, even if food prices have stopped increasing — it helps them “think like normal people.”

“Think about what it was like when you were buying your first house,” he said. “That’s how you lead to better policy and to better messaging, because then you’ll be like, ‘Hey, this is who I’m fighting for.’ If it’s all abstract policy wonk shit, you’re gonna lose them.”

The Dad Caucus started with just six members — including Mamas’ Caucus co-founder Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. — but it has grown to over 45.

Jeffries may be the latest and greatest member, but Gomez said it was another representative’s interest that made him realize the Dads Caucus had juice.

“I knew we were onto something last year when Josh Gottheimer joined out of the blue,” Gomez said.