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Thursday 1 december 2022

Jeffries wins historic bid to lead House Dems after Pelosi

By LISA MASCARO partnerships with many of
AP Congressional Corre- us," she said.
spondent Clyburn, now the highest-
WASHINGTON (AP) — ranking Black American in
House Democrats ush- Congress, is seeking to be-
ered in a new generation come the assistant Demo-
of leaders on Wednesday cratic leader, keeping a
with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries seat at the leadership table
elected to be the first Black and helping the new gen-
American to head a major eration to transition.
political party in Congress But Clyburn faces an un-
at a pivotal time as long- expected challenge from
serving Speaker Nancy Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.,
Pelosi and her team step who is openly gay and
aside next year. argued Wednesday in a
Showing rare party unity af- letter to colleagues that
ter their midterm election House Democrats should
losses, the House Demo- "fully respect the diversity of
crats moved seamlessly our caucus and the Ameri-
from one history-making can people by including
leader to another, choos- an LGBTQ+ member at the
ing the 52-year-old New leadership table."
Yorker, who vowed to "get After Wednesday's hug-
things done" in the new Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., joined by Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, ging and high-fives, the
Congress, even after Re- D-Calif., speaks to reporters after they were elected by House Democrats to form the new elections Thursday for the
leadership when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., steps aside in the new Congress
publicans won control of under the Republican majority, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. Clark assistant leader post and
the chamber. The closed- will become the Democratic whip, and Aguilar takes over a chairman of the Democratic Caucus. several others are expect-
door vote was unanimous, Associated Press ed to be more divisive.
by acclamation. Jeffries' ascent comes as a
"We stand on their collec- the Democratic whip and the 118th Congress, they direction, and Hakeem's milestone for Black Ameri-
tive broad shoulders," Jef- 43-year-old Rep. Pete Agui- will have a certain amount the ideal type guy to work cans, the Capitol built with
fries said afterward of Pelosi lar of California as caucus of leverage because the with them," Schumer said the labor of enslaved peo-
and her team. chairman. The new team Republican majority is ex- in an interview, referenc- ple and its dome later ex-
"The best thing that we can of Democratic leaders is pected to be so slim and ing Trump's "Make America panded during Abraham
do as a result of the serious- expected to slide into the McCarthy's hold on his par- Great Again" slogan. Lincoln's presidency as a
ness and solemnity of the slots held by Pelosi and her ty fragile. Clark, elected for the No. 2 symbol the nation would
moment," he had said ear- top lieutenants — Major- The House's two new po- spot, extended the invita- stand during the Civil War.
lier, "is lean in hard and do ity Leader Steny Hoyer of tential leaders, Jeffries tion to Republicans to work His Brooklyn-area district
the best damn job that we Maryland and Democratic and McCarthy, are of the with Democrats on biparti- was once represented by
can for the people." Whip James Clyburn of same generation but have san projects. Shirley Chisholm, the first
It's rare that a party that South Carolina — as the almost no real relation- "Our door is open for any Black woman elected to
lost the midterm elections 80-something leaders make ship to speak of — in fact, member from across the Congress, and he noted
would so easily regroup way for the next genera- the Democrat is known for aisle who wants to get to that she was born on the
and stands in stark contrast tion.But in many ways, the leveling political barbs at work for the American peo- same day as his election,
with the upheaval among trio has been transitioning the Republican from afar, ple," she said. Nov. 30, in 1924.
Republicans, who are strug- in plain sight, as one aide particularly over the GOP's At the same time Aguilar, Civil rights leader Rev. Al
gling to unite around GOP put it — Jeffries, Clark and embrace of former Presi- the third-ranking member, Sharpton called Jeffries'
leader Kevin McCarthy as Aguilar working with Pelo- dent Donald Trump. Jeffries said Democrats emerged elevation a "long overdue
the new House speaker as si's nod these past several served as a House man- from the narrow midterm moment in America," not-
they prepare to take con- years in lower-rung leader- ager during Trump's first im- election with a mandate: ing that "another barrier to
trol when the new Con- ship roles as the first woman peachment. "What we're fighting against equal representation has
gress convenes in January. to have the speaker's gav- Jeffries said Wednesday he is this MAGA extremism" come down."
Wednesday's internal Dem- el prepared to step down. will work with Republicans that has captured the right Pelosi and Hoyer plan to re-
ocratic caucus votes of Pelosi, of California, has "whenever possible but we flank of Trump's party. main in office, an unusual
Jeffries and the other top led the House Democrats will also push back against Jeffries has sometimes but not unprecedented
leaders came without chal- for the past 20 years, and extremism whenever nec- been met with skepticism arrangement that Jef-
lengers. colleagues late Tuesday essary." from party progressives, fries called a "blessing" the
Cheers broke out in the pri- granted her the honorific On the other side of the viewed as a more centrist new leaders can seek their
vate meeting, where typi- title of "speaker emerita." Capitol, Jeffries will have figure among House Dem- counsel.
cally contested party elec- "It an important moment for a partner in Senate Major- ocrats. While the House Demo-
tions unfolded instead like the caucus — that there's a ity Leader Chuck Schumer But Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D- crats are a big, diverse and
church service, a call-and- new generation of leader- as two New Yorkers are Mich., a progressive and often "noisy" group, Jeffries
response affirming Demo- ship," said Rep. Chris Pap- poised to helm the Demo- part of the "squad" of lib- said it's a good thing, and
crats' confidence in their pas, D-N.H., ahead of vot- cratic leadership in Con- eral lawmakers, said she representative of the House
choices, some in the room ing. gress. They live about a has been heartened by the as "the institution closest to
said. Democratic Rep. Cori Bush mile (1.6 kilometers) apart way Jeffries and his team the people."
The trio led by Jeffries, who of Missouri called the lead- in Brooklyn. are reaching out, even "At the end of the day, we
will become the Demo- ership election "historic" "There are going to be a though they face no chal- always come together,
cratic minority leader in and a "time for change." group, in my judgment, lengers. find the highest common
the new Congress, includes While Democrats will be of mainstream Republi- "There's a genuine sense denominator and get the
59-year-old Rep. Katherine relegated to the House mi- cans who are not going to that he wants to develop things done everyday
Clark of Massachusetts as nority in the new year for want to go in the MAGA relationships and working Americans," he said.q