New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has been unanimously elected to lead the Democratic caucus in the United States House of Representatives making him the first black American to lead any party either in the House or the Senate.
The vote for Jeffries and two colleagues to House Democratic leadership marks a rise of a new, younger generation that is now set to take the reins from the likes of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who at 82, announced she would not seek a leadership role in the next Congress.
The 52-year-old Congressman is 30 years younger than his predecessor Pelosi, who was elected to lead the House Democratic caucus in 2003 which included eight terms as Speaker.
“It’s an honour to stand before you today as the incoming House Democratic leader for the 118th Congress that will convene on January 3rd, and to be joined by my two good friends, amazing colleagues and partners, the incoming House Democratic whip, Katherine Clarke, and the incoming caucus chair, Pete Aguilar. I also want to convey my thanks to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an extraordinary speaker for the ages, who has delivered so much for so many over such a significant period of time. Our caucus is better. Our country is better. The world is better because of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s incredible leadership,” says Jeffries.
The elevation of Representative Clark to the Democratic Whip position and Representative Aguilar as Caucus Chairman ensures that the top three roles for Democrats in the House are held by women or by people of colour.
“House Democrats fight for the people. That’s our story. That’s our legacy. That’s our values. That’s our commitment as we move forward. Get stuff done. Make life better for everyday Americans. We look forward to finding opportunities to partner with the other side of the aisle and work with them whenever possible, but we will also push back against extremism whenever necessary,” Jeffries added.
His election was lauded by the Democratic leader of the Senate and colleagues in the House.
“Hakeem Jeffries elevation as House Democratic leader is a turning point in the history of the United States Congress. Never before has an African American leader or any leader of colour held a top position for either party in either chamber. With yesterday’s vote on respect for marriage and today’s vote for House Democratic leader, our representative democracy continues to march forward towards this promise of equality and full representation for all Americans,” says Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer.
“It signals that the future is bright. You know, we’ve always talked about for a long time about a generational shift. Our caucus is younger and so to have younger-ish leaders is important,” says House Democratic representative Ilhan Omar.
“It is an opportunity to kind of remind people that the Democratic Party is a big and diverse party and that there’s new representation that is going to be exciting for people across the country,” says House Democratic representative Pramila Jayapal.
A Democratic leadership must now navigate their minority status in the House after the last four years in control.
With Republicans set to take the majority and leader Kevin McCarthy seeking to cobble together a united caucus that will deliver him the Speakership next year, Democrats will find themselves in the opposition benches.
But with these uncontested leadership elections they are also presenting a united front after a historically weak performance from the GOP in the midterm elections ensured that their majority will be slim and tenuous at best.
