According to CNN, House Democrats are set to elect New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries as their replacement for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which could mark history by electing the first Black person to head a party in Congress.
After Pelosi revealed on Thursday that she would step down from the leadership position she had held for 20 years, the speaker did not indicate who she would back in the election on November 30.
However, in a reflection of Jeffries’ growing influence, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn swiftly praised him after announcing their own resignations from leadership positions.
Speaking of the new generation of Democratic leaders, which I hope will be Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Peter Aguilar, Clyburn said in a statement, “Speaker Pelosi has left an indelible mark on Congress and the country. I look forward to her continued service and doing everything I can to help our new generation of Democratic leaders.” Jeffries “will make history for the institution of the House and for our country,” according to Hoyer.
Jeffries, who is 52, would signal a generational shift from the current trio of Democratic House leaders, who are all three three decades older than him. He was the youngest person in leadership when he was elected Democratic caucus chairman in 2019.
When asked on Thursday when he would officially declare his candidacy for leadership, Jeffries responded, “Let’s spend the day at this point continuing to contemplate the historic significance of Speaker Pelosi and the chance that we’ve all had to serve with her.”
He continued, “It’s been a wonderful experience.” “Right now is the perfect time to honour Speaker Pelosi.”
Jeffries appears to have a lot of support from the House Democratic caucus.
The chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, told CNN that she anticipated the caucus to endorse Jeffries prior to Pelosi’s statement.
Beatty stated, “I’m very clear that I will be voting for and leading the Congressional Black Caucus to vote for Hakeem Jeffries if she steps aside.” I don’t always speak for everyone, but I feel very confident in stating that I think every member of the Congressional Black Caucus would vote for Hakeem Jeffries.
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Form’s Base
Former CBC chairman and retiring North Carolina representative G.K. Butterfield told CNN that Jeffries “is ready for the moment” if Pelosi resigned. Butterfield declared that he believed Jeffries would run.
Additionally, former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Wisconsin Representative Mark Pocan supported Jeffries. I’m a tremendous fan of Hakeem Jeffries, and he visited my class, Pocan said CNN. “I believe he is very brilliant, and he would be an excellent choice to help the caucus reach a consensus. He will be a great leader, in my opinion.”
Democrats in Congress have been speculating for months that Pelosi’s probable resignation from Congress may open the door for Jeffries. Prior to his 2006 election to the New York State Assembly, the Brooklyn-born attorney earned degrees from Georgetown, the State University of New York at Binghamton, and New York University Law School. Since being elected to Congress for the first time ten years ago, he has represented New York’s 8th District. Jeffries was a key player in the Trump administration’s efforts to pass the First Step Act, a bipartisan initiative that overhauled the criminal justice system, as well as in the first trial’s defence of the former president’s impeachment. Throughout the Biden administration, he has continued to influence the party’s messaging.
Some House Democrats have been eager to end the Pelosi administration for a while. She obtained the speaker’s gavel after the elections in 2006, lost it after the ones in 2010, and then regained it after the ones in 2018.
Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, who has previously attempted to unseat Pelosi, told CNN that she is a historic speaker who has accomplished a tremendous amount. However, he added, “I also think there are a lot of Democrats ready for a new chapter.”
Whoever succeeds Pelosi will, however, do so in the shadow of one of the most influential and divisive people in American politics. The Speaker played a key role in passing the Affordable Care Act, the 2008 Economic Stimulus Bill, a $1.9 trillion bill to combat the coronavirus, a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, and, most recently, a massive $750 billion tax and health care bill that included the largest investment in climate change mitigation in American history.
Pelosi, who will continue to represent San Francisco in Congress, will give her successor a larger-than-expected House minority after the 2022 midterm elections. Democrats expressed the wish that she would continue as leader.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, clenched his chest when asked about Pelosi’s departure and said he had begged her to stay.
“I told her that when she called and told me this and that, I asked her to please reconsider. We require your presence,” Schumer stated.
