Hakeem Jeffries, a New York representative, is expected to be chosen by House Democrats to replace Nancy Pelosi as House speaker, making history by becoming the first Black person to head a party in Congress, CNN reports.
The speaker wouldn’t indicate who she would back in the election on November 30 to succeed her after she revealed on Thursday that she would step down from the leadership position she has held for 20 years.
However, after declaring they would likewise step aside from their leadership positions, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn swiftly praised Jeffries, an indication of his growing influence.
When compared to the current House Democratic leadership trio, who are significantly older than Jeffries, they would be a generational change. The Democratic caucus’ youngest leader, he was elected chairman in 2019, making him the new incumbent.
Within the House Democratic caucus, Jeffries appears to have a lot of support.
The Congressional Black Caucus chairperson from Ohio, Rep. Joyce Beatty, told CNN before Pelosi’s decision that she anticipated the caucus would endorse Jeffries.
“If she steps aside, I’m very clear that Hakeem Jeffries is the person that I will be voting for and leading the Congressional Black Caucus to vote for,” Beatty said. “I don’t always speak for everybody, but I’m very comfortable saying I believe that every member of the Congressional Black Caucus would vote for Hakeem Jeffries.”
Democratic legislators have been speculating for months that Jeffries would succeed Pelosi if she leaves Congress. Before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 2006, the Brooklyn-born lawyer earned degrees from the State University of New York at Binghamton, Georgetown, and New York University Law School.
Since being elected to Congress for the first time ten years ago, he has served the 8th District of New York.
As a House manager in the first impeachment trial, Jeffries was instrumental in the Trump administration’s efforts to enact the First Step Act, a bipartisan initiative to modernize the criminal justice system. While the Biden administration was in office, he continued to influence the party’s rhetoric.
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.
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