WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is poised to make history as the first black speaker of the House of Representatives, a generational shift in American politics after Democrats defeated Republicans to gain majority control of the chamber in the United States. midterm elections.
Jeffries will face a vote from his colleagues when the new Congress meets on January 3. If he is nominated and elected, as expected, it would be the first time a black lawmaker seized the gavel of the powerful Speaker of the House, a position second only to the speaker and the only leadership position in Congress mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
His accession to the presidency of the Capitol, equipped with a dome, Enslaved African Americans helped build, would mark a milestone in more than 150 years of achievement, tracing an arc of history that began with the first black American elected in the United States House of Representatives in the turbulent era of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Jeffries would wield the gavel at a time when many of the landmark gains of the 20th century civil rights era are being lost. challenged againoften by the Trump administration.
Jeffries was greeted with cheers of “Speaker! Speaker!” at the Democrats’ watch party in Washington.
“This is not a partisan moment. This is a patriotic moment,” Jeffries said.
He said House Democrats understand this is an election for change and that “the American people are demanding transformational change.”
“We hear you,” he said. “We will work hard to achieve the radical change you deserve. »
THE Brooklyn native, 56 years old Jeffries, known for sprinkling old-school hip-hop lyrics into his freestyle remarks, would take over the office of Speaker Mike Johnsona Republican, as Democrats seek to confront President Donald Trump’s final two years in office.
The president has publicly and privately mocked Jeffries, a New York University-educated lawyer who has served in Congress since 2013 and is America’s highest-ranking Black elected official. Trump once mocked Jeffries by posting a fake photo of the Democratic leader wearing a sombrero in front of the White House on social media.
The full House votes on its speaker, which is one of the first items on the agenda when Congress meets in January. Parties typically choose their leaders during internal caucus elections in November.
Jeffries thanked House Democrats in a letter Wednesday, making clear his desire to become the next speaker.
“America is back!” » Jeffries wrote.
He added that his goal was to empower them to act decisively in the next Congress in three areas: affordability, accountability and American values.
Jeffries charts new path for Democrats after Pelosi
The path forward is clear for Jeffries and his leadership team, with Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who have often evolved as a trio representing a new era of leadership in the House. Clark is expected to become majority leader and Aguilar is expected to become majority whip.
Jeffries would be the first Democratic speaker since Nancy Pelosi and he led the party for the past four years, with her support, once she decided to step down following the Democrats’ 2022 election defeat.
But Jeffries and the Democratic leadership team will quickly be tested in the majority, with all the power and responsibility that comes with running an often unruly House.
They are preparing to face not only Trump, but also a new group of democrats elected officials, including a handful backed by the Democratic Socialists of America pushing the party to the left, although the House’s largest caucus is expected to remain the more moderate New Democratic coalition.
Jeffries promised a solid 100 day diary to reduce the cost of living and launch monitoring and investigations hold the Trump administration accountable. Impeachment is an option.
By promising to show voters that Democrats can govern, Jeffries and the leadership team hope to hold their new majority together and avoid a chaotic situation. disruptions and malfunctions this often left Johnson unable to control the GOP’s slim majority in the House.
Colleagues praised Jeffries’ collaborative style, a listener that represents a departure from Pelosi’s powerful tenure as the nation’s first female speaker of the House of Representatives.
But at the same time, his calm is a choice The deliberative nature has sparked criticism that Jeffries may be too slow to act in a frenetic political environment when voters are looking for a quick response to crises and growing concerns.
Soaring health care costs, gasoline and food prices, the war in Iran, relations between Trump and Putin over Ukraine, and concerns about corruption are all major issues ahead.
His path to power stretches from Brooklyn to Washington
The son of an Air Force veteran and a social worker, Jeffries told The Associated Press on the campaign trail that growing up during New York’s crack epidemic shaped his sense of purpose.
His experience led to “a desire to improve the quality of life of hard-working people, who could have fled difficult circumstances but stayed in the community and worked hard to make a difference,” he said.
Married with two children, Jeffries grew up at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn and represents parts of the Brooklyn district once held by a pioneer representative. Shirley Chisholm.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton, a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown, and graduated magna cum laude from the NYU School of Law. He worked as a corporate lawyer and served in the New York State Assembly before being elected to Congress.
An insurgent himself, Jeffries was 29 when he first ran for office, failing twice in his first campaigns for state government. In 2012, he challenged a 30-year incumbent congressman, who withdrew as Jeffries raced to win the seat.
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Jeffries follows in the footsteps of those who came before him, including Joseph Raineythe first black American elected to the House of Representatives in 1870. Although Rainey never became president, he was the first black legislator to preside with the gavel above the House chamber.
Gn headline
