Hakeem Jeffries elected House Democratic leader in historic first

Washington — House Democrats elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York as their next party leader in a unanimous vote on Wednesday, ushering in a generational shift as Democrats prepare to relinquish control of the lower chamber in January.

Long considered a rising star in the party, the 52-year-old Jeffries will make history as the first Black party leader in either chamber of Congress. He takes the reins from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has served as House Democratic leader since 2003. Pelosi, 82, announced earlier this month that she would not seek another leadership position but would remain in the House. 

Wednesday’s election means Jeffries will become minority leader when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. Republicans will hold a narrow majority in the House for the first time since 2019, while Democrats retained control of the Senate in the midterm elections. 

Jeffries, whose district encompasses large parts of his native Brooklyn, was first elected to Congress in 2012 and steadily ascended the party ranks, ultimately becoming chairman of the Democratic caucus in 2019. He served in the New York State Assembly prior to his election, and was a corporate lawyer before launching his political career, with stints as in-house counsel at Viacom and CBS.

Serving alongside Jeffries will be Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who was selected as caucus chairman, and Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, who was expected to be elected Democratic whip. All three ran unopposed. 

Like Pelosi, current Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland declined to seek another leadership post, while Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the current whip, plans to seek a new role as assistant Democratic leader in an election on Thursday. 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Jeffries said the new leadership team recognized the “solemn responsibility that we are all inheriting, and the best thing that we can do as a result of the seriousness and solemnity of the moment, is lean in hard and do the best damn job that we can for the people.”

“We are a coalition of people with different life experiences, ideologies and backgrounds. But at the end of the day, we’re always committed to finding the highest common denominator in order to get big things done. For everyday Americans. I’m confident that we can continue to do it,” he said.

Jeffries also offered some insight on his relationship with GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, the Republican nominee for the speakership.

“I think I’ve been pretty gentle on Kevin McCarthy over the years, to tell you the truth. I just respond to things that he has either said or done that I found to be outrageous, such as calling out members on our side of the aisle as extreme when he’s got an extraordinary group of members on the other side of the aisle who fall into that category,” Jeffries said. “Moving forward, it’s my hope that House Democrats can find common ground with Republicans to get things done that would make life better for everyday Americans whenever possible. But we’re also prepared to oppose their extremism when we must.”

Rebecca Kaplan contributed reporting.