Share
Copied
Hakeem Jeffries, wearing a pink tie, gets a congratulatory fist-bump as he walks into the U.S. Capitol after he was elected House Democratic leader for the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 30, 2022. /CFP
Hakeem Jeffries was unanimously elected on Wednesday to become the Democratic Party's top leader in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in January, making him the first Black American to hold such a high-ranking position in Congress.
Jeffries, 52, who has represented New York's 8th congressional district since 2013, will be the top House Democrat for at least the next two years.
"Humbled to be elected incoming House Democratic leader," he tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "Ready to get to work."
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was not surprised that Jeffries, a fellow Brooklynite, was chosen.
Coming from Brooklyn means "you learn how to work with all kinds of different people. You learn how to stand your ground. You learn to not take things personally," Schumer said on Wednesday, adding that Jeffries "exemplifies all these traits."
House Democrats also elected Katherine Clark from Massachusetts as the party whip, and Pete Aguilar from California as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
Their elections mean that for the first time in either party, the top three party roles are held by women or people of color.
Democrats lost their majority status in the House to Republicans in this year's midterm elections, but retained control of the Senate.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California congressman, is seeking to be the next speaker of the lower chamber.
Mitch McConnell from Kentucky was re-elected as Republican leader in the Senate earlier this month.
The new Congress will convene for the first time on January 3, 2023.
(With input from agencies)
Search Trends
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
SITEMAP
Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466