Hakeem Jeffries Elected as House Democratic Leader

House Democrats unanimously elected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as House Democratic Leader, setting him up to become House Minority Leader in January. 

For Context: Jeffries, 52, is widely seen as a successor to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who said earlier this month that she would step back from House Leadership. He is the first black American elected to lead a major party in Congress, after running for the position unopposed. His district includes a large part of Brooklyn, NY. Furthermore, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) was elected as Democratic whip, and Rep. Peter Aguilar (D-Calif.) was picked as caucus chairman. On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has faced doubts over whether Republicans would back his bid for House Speaker. 

Key Quotes: After the vote, Jeffries said his mandate was to “advance the ball for everyday Americans and get stuff done.” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) told the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) that Jeffries was a “bridge builder” who “has always believed in reaching out to members from across the spectrum to unite the party.”

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common across the spectrum on Wednesday. Coverage from the left was more likely to prominently highlight Jeffries’ race, often describing his election as “historic.” While coverage from the right was generally neutral, sometimes focusing more on Pelosi, past coverage of Jeffries has been critical; a Washington Examiner opinion headline from November 18 called him an “election-denier.”