On Wednesday, House Democrats selected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to lead the party in 2023 after California Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced that she would not seek a leadership role in the new Congress.
“Humbled to be elected incoming House Democratic Leader,” Jeffries wrote. “Ready to get to work.”
Earlier this month, Pelosi announced that she would not seek a leadership role in the upcoming Congress. She will, however, continue representing the San Francisco area.
In addition to the selection of Jeffries as House Speaker, Reps. Katherine Clark (MA) and Pete Aguilar (CA) were selected to replace Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD) and Rep. James Clyburn (SC) as the second and third-ranking Democrats in Congress, respectively.
As reported by The Hill, Both Hoyer and Clyburn had also announced with Pelosi that they would step down from their leadership roles in the next Congress.
“Together, this new generation of leaders reflects the vibrancy and diversity of our great nation – and they will reinvigorate our caucus with their new energy, ideas and perspective,” Pelosi said on Wednesday.
Fellow Democratic colleagues praised Jeffries’ appointment, which made him the first African American to lead the party.
“As an African American, it sends a message out to this country that it’s time for real diversity and inclusion. And there are so many people of color who are capable and competent and can lead,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said. “This will be a great image for people of color and for Black people and little Black boys to be able to aspire to a position as high as that.”
Meanwhile, Charles “Chuck” Schumer (D-NY) is expected to remain the party’s majority leader since the Democrats still hold the majority in the Senate.
“I can’t wait to talk to my neighbor from Brooklyn four or six times a day like I did with Speaker Pelosi,” the Senate leader said of Jeffries.
In his role as House Democratic Leader, Jeffries will be in charge of selecting the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
Earlier this week, Jeffries asserted that he is willing to work with Republicans despite previously criticizing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA) for supporting Former President Donald Trump after the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Certainly, I have more interaction with the incoming Republican majority leader, Steve Scalise,” Jeffries said Tuesday night. “But have an open mind about being able to engage with Kevin McCarthy — for the good of the country.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
