Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Friday officially launched a bid for the House Democratic leader, a move which would see him succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi and become the first Black person to lead a party in Congress.
Jeffries promised his colleagues in a letter quoted by CNN that he would empower and protect them — and expand their ranks.
“Our top non-governmental priority, for the sake of the American people, must be retaking the majority in November 2024,” Jeffries wrote.
Pelosi announced Thursday that she will step down after two decades as the Democratic Party’s leader in the chamber. The decision came a day after Republicans regained control of the House, sending Pelosi and the Democrats back to the minority.
In a sign of Jeffries’ emerging power, Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn quickly backed him after announcing they would step down from their leadership posts.
Pelosi blessed the new trio of leaders expected to succeed them — Jeffries, Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark and California Rep. Peter Aguilar — in a statement on Friday. The House Democrats’ leadership election is on November 30.
“A new day is dawning — and I am confident that these new leaders will capably lead our Caucus and the Congress,” Pelosi said, according to CNN.
“Speaker Pelosi has left an indelible mark on Congress and the country, and I look forward to her continued service and doing whatever I can to assist our new generation of Democratic leaders,” said Clyburn in a statement. Hoyer said Jeffries “will make history for the institution of the House and for our country.”
Pelosi, who will continue to serve in Congress representing San Francisco, will leave her successor with a greater than expected House minority following the 2022 midterm elections.
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