WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 30: House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) talks to reporters as he departs a leadership election meeting with the Democratic caucus in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill November 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. Jeffries is expected to become the leading Democrat in the House after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) steps down from leadership. Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Drew Angerer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
House Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been re-elected as the Democratic leader, on Tuesday, securing support from his peers despite the party’s failure to regain majority control in the November elections.
Jeffries, representing New York, was selected during a confidential vote held by House Democrats at the Capitol. The majority of the Democratic leadership team is anticipated to be re-elected for the upcoming Congress. Poised to potentially become the House Speaker, Jeffries retains his position as the highest-ranking Black elected official in Congress and the first to serve as party leader.
He missed the opportunity to secure the gavel after Republicans, alongside President-elect Donald Trump, gained control of the White House, Senate, and House. Although Jeffries will be the Democratic nominee for House Speaker, the gavel is expected to go to Speaker Mike Johnson, as Republicans maintain their majority into the new year.
The House Democratic leadership operates as a collaborative team, comprising a trio of younger leaders who assumed their roles when Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi stepped down two years ago.
Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California also secured their re-elections on Tuesday.
House Democrats gained a few seats in competitive areas, including Jeffries’ home state of New York and California. However, they also lost seats elsewhere and did not unseat some GOP incumbents, resulting in minimal overall change in the House.
Under Johnson’s leadership, Republicans hold the majority by a slim margin. Their numbers are set to decrease in the new year as Trump has selected three GOP lawmakers, Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, and Matt Gaetz, for his administration, pending Senate confirmation.
Frances Ibiefo
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