Roll Call: Congressional Dad Bod Grows As Jeffries Joins Dads Caucus

Group hopes to show that ‘women’s issues’ are really family issues that affect fathers, too

Washington, January 22, 2025
By Jim Saska

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?

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