Photo: Hakeem Jeffries’s official congressional portrait / United States Congress, Wikimedia Commons / public domain
By: JBizNews Desk 🌎
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries formally launched his bid for speaker of the House on Wednesday in a letter to colleagues, Axios reported. Jeffries is widely expected to win the gavel after Democrats’ landslide midterm victory, which would make him the first Black speaker in U.S. history.
“I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries wrote. “We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority.” He said he wants Democrats to act decisively in three areas: affordability, accountability and American values.
Jeffries, first elected to Congress in 2012, has led House Democrats since Nancy Pelosi stepped down in 2022. While some incoming progressive and red-district Democrats have declined to commit to backing him, he is not expected to face serious opposition, and the size of the new majority helps insulate him, Axios reported.
His senior team is expected to run uncontested: Katherine Clark for majority leader, Pete Aguilar for majority whip, Ted Lieu for caucus chair and Joe Neguse for assistant speaker.
In plain terms: the bid is the formal first step; the actual vote for speaker happens when the new Congress convenes in January.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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