House Democrats elect Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as leader, the first Black person to lead congressional caucus - NBC News

WASHINGTON — House Democrats elected their caller enactment squad Wednesday, ushering successful a younger procreation of leaders aft Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer decided to measurement speech aft Democrats narrowly mislaid the majority this month.

Pelosi, 82, of California, the archetypal pistillate talker of the House, volition pass the torch to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., 52, who ran unopposed for number person and volition marque past arsenic the archetypal Black lawmaker to pb a governmental party’s caucus successful either chamber.

"Today, with immense pride, I stood successful beforehand of the House Democratic Caucus arsenic a campaigner for Democratic Leader, and I americium eternally grateful for the spot my colleagues placed successful maine with their votes," Jeffries said successful a statement.

Jeffries’ apical lawman volition beryllium Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., 59, a progressive who served nether Jeffries arsenic vice seat of the Democratic Caucus and roseate to adjunct talker this Congress. She was elected number whip, the party’s apical ballot counter.

Rounding retired the trio of caller leaders is Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., 43, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus subordinate and erstwhile politician who was elected Democratic Caucus president — the relation Jeffries has held for the past 4 years.

The predetermination of Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar represents a changing of the defender for House Democrats who person seen the almighty triumvirate of Pelosi, Hoyer, D-Md., 83, and Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., 82, inhabit apical enactment posts for the past 2 decades.

“This is simply a infinitesimal of transition,” Jeffries told a tiny radical of reporters successful the Capitol connected Tuesday night. “We basal connected the shoulders of giants, but are besides looking guardant to being capable to bash what’s indispensable astatine this infinitesimal to beforehand the issues.”

Of the existent “Big Three” Democrats, lone Clyburn, the existent bulk whip, has opted to enactment successful enactment successful the caller Congress. He volition tally for the occupation of “assistant leader,” which has been considered the No. 3 station successful the number successful the past but volition displacement down to the No. 4 occupation this Congress.

Clyburn’s determination frustrated immoderate younger members, who had hoped the caller Congress would commencement with a cleanable slate. And connected Wednesday Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., 61, announced a astonishment bid against Clyburn for adjunct leader; that predetermination volition instrumentality spot Thursday.

In a missive to colleagues announcing his run, Cicilline said, "I deliberation it is captious that the House Democratic Leadership squad afloat bespeak the diverseness of our caucus and the American radical by including an LGBTQ+ subordinate astatine the enactment table, which is wherefore I’ve decided to tally for Assistant Leader."

One young Democratic subordinate who is backing Cicilline expressed vexation Wednesday with Clyburn's determination to tally for enactment again. “I deliberation it’s beauteous ridiculous that Nancy had to leave. … She was the astir effectual person successful past and I’m not definite wherefore helium [Clyburn] didn’t person to permission with her,” the Democrat said.

In the lone contested contention of the day, Democrats connected Wednesday elected Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., arsenic Democratic Caucus vice chair, the No. 5 slot successful leadership. Lieu, an Air Force reservist, bushed retired 3 different beardown contenders: Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.

In caller years, different young, ambitious and talented Democrats looking to ascent the enactment ladder discovered they had obscurity to spell but out.

Democratic Caucus Chair Xavier Becerra took an assignment arsenic California's lawyer wide and past was named by President Joe Biden arsenic wellness and quality services secretary. Two of Pelosi's loyal deputies successful leadership, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, successfully ran for seats successful the Senate erstwhile their options ran out.

Others, including Steve Israel of New York, who led some House Democrats' run limb and communications shop, opted for retirement.

Pelosi and Hoyer won't beryllium going far. Rather than resign, the 2 said they volition stay successful Congress. And connected Tuesday night, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee unanimously voted to assistance Pelosi the ceremonial rubric of “Speaker Emerita.” The solution bestowing the grant connected Pelosi was offered by Jeffries. 

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi volition spell down arsenic 1 of the top legislative leaders successful American history,” said the Steering Committee Co-Chairs Eric Swalwell, Barbara Lee and Cheri Bustos. "By granting Speaker Pelosi this honorific title, we proudly observe her marble-ceiling-smashing and legendary nationalist service.”

Asked astir however his enactment benignant mightiness disagree from that of Pelosi — a shrewd legislator who ruled her caucus, astatine times, with an robust grip — Jeffries seemed to instrumentality a team-first view.

“The House Democratic Caucus is astatine its champion erstwhile everyone has an accidental to beryllium connected the playing field, playing the close position," helium said.

Jeffries dodged respective questions astir what it meant for him to beryllium the archetypal Black idiosyncratic to pb either enactment successful Congress.

“I haven’t truly had the accidental to bespeak connected that,” helium said, aboriginal adding, “to the grade that I spent immoderate clip dwelling connected extracurricular narratives oregon the magnitude of the moment, it would instrumentality distant from having to marque realtime decisions arsenic we hole to signifier for the caller Congress.”

But aft his predetermination Wednesday, Jeffries spoke emotionally astir however helium grew up successful the Crown Heights vicinity of Brooklyn, raised by his working-class parents — a lawsuit idiosyncratic and a societal idiosyncratic — during the ace cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and 90s.

"I'm thankful for them," Jeffries said astatine a quality conference, "thankful for their love, enactment and prayers passim the years, passim my travel into adulthood and my travel arsenic a nationalist servant."

Pelosi, successful a connection Wednesday, praised the caller enactment team, promising "an orderly transition" successful the adjacent Congress and expressing gratitude for her clip arsenic leader. "Together, this caller procreation of leaders reflects the vibrancy and diverseness of our large federation — and they volition reinvigorate our Caucus with their caller energy, ideas and perspective," she said.