The House Democratic Caucus has elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. to lead their caucus.
As House minority leader, Jeffries will become the first Black person to lead a major political party in Congress. He is among a new slate of leaders elected Wednesday to lead House Democrats in the next session of Congress, including Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., as Jeffries’ No. 2, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., as the third-ranking leader.
Jeffries, 52, who ran unopposed, is 30 years younger than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi announced earlier this month she would remain in Congress, but not run for the leadership post she has held atop the Democratic caucus for nearly two decades after Republicans gained a razor-thin majority in the 2022 midterms.
Pelosi praised the leadership team following the caucus election Wednesday saying the new leaders will “reinvigorate our Caucus with their new energy, ideas and perspective.”
Talking to reporters the night before the caucus vote, Jeffries said he hasn’t had time to reflect on the historical marker. Focusing on “the outside narratives or the magnitude of the moment” would take away from his work planning how to shift the caucus from the majority to its new minority posture in January, he said.
Jeffries added it’s important for Congress to “look like the American people.” He added, “when we get an opportunity as diverse leaders to serve in positions of consequence, the most meaningful thing we can do in the space is do an incredibly good job — that hopefully will encourage others to think about public service and alleviate concerns that folks who are skeptical may have about the ability of every type of American to operate successfully at the highest levels.”
Clyburn calls the leadership change an ‘evolution’
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., who is 82 and has served in party leadership, said Tuesday night the shift taking place with the current slate of leaders stepping aside to make way for a new generation has been in the works for several years.
“I think that it was pretty clear to everybody that Pelosi, [Rep. Steny] Hoyer and myself would be making an exit from the leadership very soon, either under our own, or somebody carried us out,” Clyburn said.
Clyburn called the low-drama leadership change that House Democrats executed relatively quickly after a team that held power for roughly 15 years an “evolution.” Typically, coveted leadership posts rarely open up and contested races can get personal with camps working furiously to secure votes in a race decided via a secret ballot.
“I have studied history long enough to know that evolutions are much better than revolutions,” Clyburn said. “And I think that anybody watching their caucus, our caucus over the years, could see the evolving leadership.”
Speaking the night before the leadership elections, Jeffries told reporters that after Democrats won back the majority in 2018 he, Clark, and Aguilar talked about joining the leadership table then and using the period to demonstrate they were up to the task to eventually move up the leadership ladder.
A new generation vows ‘bottom up’ leadership style
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told NPR “one thing I’ve learned in leadership is that you don’t get to choose your moment. The moment presents itself, and it’s up to you to decide how and when you’re going to lead.” Crow said Jeffries has a “bottom up style of leadership,” adding, “one of his greatest strengths is recognizing the tremendous talent around him.”
Pelosi held a very narrow majority during this session of Congress, and the divisions between progressives and centrists often spilled into the open and stalled action on top priorities. Those on the left often wanted bolder policy proposals and more generous federal spending, while centrists argued for positions they maintained were more in step with voters in purple districts they represented and helped the party regain the majority in 2018.
Jeffries told reporters there’s “nothing more unifying then being in the majority” and said he and his colleagues are squarely focused on taking back the gavel in 2024.
He acknowledged the caucus is “a big family, and an enthusiastic family and sometimes a noisy family.” In a veiled reference to the House GOP conference and its allegiance to former President Donald Trump, Jeffries added “I’d much rather be a coalition than a cult.”
One younger House Democrat, Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., who was elected in 2016, told NPR she was excited about the major shift in who will lead her party in the House. Barragán pointed out that she and Jeffries come from similar backgrounds, with working-class parents.
