Hakeem Jeffries to replace Nancy Pelosi as Democratic House minority leader
Hakeem Jeffries has been elected House minority leader. Who is Congressman Hakeem Jeffries? Jeffries is the first Black American to head a political party.
- Hakeem Jeffries has been elected House minority leader.
- Who is Congressman Hakeem Jeffries?
- Jeffries is the first Black American to head a political party.
US Congressman Hakeem Jeffries was elected this Wednesday to be the next Democratic minority leader in the House starting in January. He is replacing Nancy Pelosi, who will no longer be Speaker after the Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterms.
Hakeem Jeffries will be the first Black American to lead a political party, according to EFE. Jeffries, 52, and the Representative for New York, has chaired the Democratic Caucus in that chamber since 2019.
Pelosi steps down after Republicans take control of the House
This change in Democratic leadership occurs after the midterm elections on November 8, when Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives, effective in January. Pelosi announced her intention to make way for the next generation of leadership, reported EFE.
Nancy Pelosi, 82, will keep her seat representing California in Congress and has been named Emeritus Speaker, but will leave her position on the front line. Current House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, will focus on his role on the Appropriations Committee.
Katherine Clark is the number 2 Democrat in the House
The Washington Post reports that the number two Democrat in the House will be 59-year-old Katherine Clark of Massachusetts. California legislator Pete Aguilar, 43, Vice President of that body until now and member of the legislative committee investigating the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol, will become the caucus chairman.
The Democrats did retain their tight majority in the Senate after the midterms, so the new Congress that will be seated as of January 3 will have its leadership divided between both parties, according to EFE.
Hakeem Jeffries announces his priorities
Jeffries has vowed to keep an «open mind» in his relationship with Republicans. Conservative Kevin McCarthy has been nominated as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, but has yet to secure the necessary votes to see his position in January.
«The Democrats of the House of Representatives are committed to a legislative agenda that lowers costs, protects the right to abortion and strengthens democracy,» Aguilar said in a statement quoted by EFE, after being elected president of the Caucus.
“I think the time has come for a new generation to lead”
Hakeem Jeffries ran unopposed, according to CNN. The congressman said that he hopes to «lead an effort that centers our communication strategy around the principle that values unite, issues divide,» according to the news network.
“I will not be running for re-election as Democratic leader in the next Congress… I think the time has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect,” Pelosi told the announce that he would leave office.