Hakeem Jeffries set to become first Black House speaker
The New York Democrat will lead the chamber starting in January after a strong midterm performance.
By Neha Kapoor ·
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries will likely be elected speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. The New York Democrat secured the top leadership role after helping his party win a decisive victory in the midterm elections.
Jeffries has served in the House since 2013. He became the first Black politician to lead either party in the House or Senate when he was elected minority leader in 2022. As speaker, he would rank second in the presidential line of succession, directly behind the vice president.
The lawmaker has focused heavily on criminal justice reform throughout his career. He previously served six years in the New York State Assembly, where he worked to regulate warrantless stop-and-frisk searches by the New York City Police Department. In Washington, he led the effort to pass the First Step Act during the first Trump administration. That bipartisan law reduced sentences for some drug crimes.
Jeffries described his path to politics as rooted in his work as a lawyer. He credited a law school legal clinic for sparking his interest in the broken criminal justice system. He said he wanted to do something about the system if he entered public service.
The speaker-elect faces the challenge of uniting a diverse and often fractious House Democratic caucus. He must manage a growing number of Democratic Socialists of America-aligned members while delivering on promises to voters. Jeffries said on Tuesday night, "This is a change election, and we understand as House Democrats that we need to deliver dramatic change."
He has maintained that his primary focus for the new Congress is lowering costs for Americans. Jeffries told Fox News in April that impeachment is not a top priority for Democrats. He added in September that the party has not ruled anything in or out regarding future impeachment efforts.
The House will hold a floor vote for speaker on Jan. 3. Jeffries will succeed the current speaker and take charge of the legislative agenda for the new term.
Source: WCLK
