Jeffries confirmed he is all in for Hochul and Adams. He also spoke to the need to fight for an affordable America.
“Life is too expensive, and far too many people in this country are working hard and playing by the rules, but they can’t thrive, and they can barely survive,” Jeffries said. “When you work hard and play by the rules in this state and in this country, you should be able to live an affordable, comfortable and good life, and that is what we as Democrats will fight for all across the country.”
New Yorkers First protest
The evening’s event was periodically interrupted by protesters shouting from outside the club.
New Yorkers First protested against Adams. They cited concerns about her record, including allegations of discretionary taxpayer funding directed to BHRAGS Home Care, a Brooklyn nonprofit connected to a federal corruption investigation involving emergency migrant shelter contracts.
Protester Joe Palau, who referred to himself as “a concerned citizen,” said he is not against the Democrats. “It’s all about who is speaking here tonight — Adrienne Adams — and what she stands for.”
Adams did not comment on the protest.
The Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club was founded in 1958 by longtime Brooklyn Democratic power broker Meade Esposito and Shirley Weiner. Over the decades, the club became a powerful force in Brooklyn politics, helping cultivate generations of Democratic candidates, elected officials and party leaders.
Frank Seddio, who served as president of the club from 1992 to 1998 and later returned to lead it, has been one of its most prominent modern figures. In 2025, the club began a new chapter by relocating from its historic Canarsie headquarters to a new facility in Mill Basin.