Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives were poised on Wednesday to pass their leadership baton to a younger generation, marking the end of the Nancy Pelosi era and the widely anticipated opening of Hakeem Jeffries' party rule.

Jeffries, a 52-year-old New Yorker, is running for House Democratic leader for the next two years. If he is elected as expected during closed-door voting, he would become the first Black person to hold a top party leadership job in the House or Senate.

When he formally announced his candidacy on November 18, following a decade in the House, Jeffries pledged to preside over a caucus that would return power to committee members and give junior lawmakers more say in shaping legislation and being rewarded with high-profile positions.

"Meaningful policymaking and public engagement opportunities should be robustly distributed regardless of length of service," Jeffries wrote in a letter to fellow Democrats.

There were no apparent challengers to Jeffries.

The regime change for Democrats comes at a time when Republicans are set to take majority control of the House on January 3 as a result of the November 8 midterm elections.

(Cover: U.S. House Representative Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference of the House Democratic Caucus, June 8, 2022. /CFP)