House Democrats elected Hakeem Jeffries (New York) as their leader, who will take over from Nancy Pelosi (California).
Jeffries’s choice is considered ” historical” by being the first African-American leader for the Democrats in the House in the next legislature, which begins on January 3, 2018.
Jeffries ran unopposed as leader, as well as representative Katherine Clark (Massachusetts), who will be the so-called “whip”, that is, the person responsible for ensuring votes and agreements between Democrats.
Pelosi was named “spokesperson emeritus” in a unanimous vote of the Democratic House Committee on Policy and Leadership House on Tuesday night.
“I am confident these new leaders will skillfully lead our Caucus and Congress,” Pelosi said.
The Majority Leader in Senate Chuck Schumer (New York) also celebrated Jeffries’s rise.
“It is a turning point in the history of the United States Congress: never before has an African-American leader, or any leader of color, he held the highest position of any party in any of the houses,” he said.
Schumer said he had known Jeffries “for a long time” before he was elected to the State Assembly of New York at 2018.
“When I met him I thought the same thing I thought when I met President Pelosi: he is someone who has everything,” he said in a message in Congress.
He added that Jeffries will hold Democratic values ”firm.”
“I congratulate my friend Hakeem on his historic election as Democratic House leader and I can’t wait to talk to my Brooklyn neighbor four or six times a day, like I did with the speaker Pelosi”, he said.
The leader Jeffries is a representative of the district 8 federal, which covers two of the most diverse counties: Queens and Brooklyn.
He was born in the Hospital from Brooklyn, she was raised in Crown Heights and educated in New York City public schools, graduating from Midwood High School. He lives in Prospect Heights with his family.
He is an attorney and clerked for the Honorable Harold Baer Jr. of the Southern District Court of New York, but has also worked in private firms.
He is still Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the fifth highest ranking position among his colleagues and to which he was elected in November 2018.
He was also a negotiator central to the Congressional Black Caucus and helped develop the For The People agenda.
“Since President Biden took office in January 2021, Representative Jeffries has been instrumental in House Democratic efforts to put people over politics by cutting costs, creating better-paying jobs, and fighting for safer communities.” , confirms his official profile.