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Hakeem Jeffries wins reelection as House Democratic leader despite party's losses

[November 20, 2024] By LISA MASCARO

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection Tuesday as the Democratic leader, receiving support from his colleagues despite the party's inability to win back majority control of the chamber in the November election.

Jeffries and the top House Democratic leadership — a trio of younger generation leaders along with Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California — all won their reelections in the private balloting of House Democrats.

“We are prepared to work hard to find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues and the incoming administration on any issue, whenever and wherever possible,” said Jeffries, of New York, flanked by the leadership team at the Capitol.

“But at the same period of time we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary,” Jeffries said.

In line to become the House speaker, Jeffries of New York remains the highest ranking Black elected official in Congress, and the first to hold the job of party leader.

He fell short of being in place to win the gavel after Republicans swept to power alongside President-elect Donald Trump, winning control of the White House, the Senate and the House.

While the Democratic leader will be the party’s nominee for House speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, the gavel is expected to go to Speaker Mike Johnson as Republicans continue to hold the majority in the new year.

Jeffries and the House Democratic leadership team took over when Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi stepped aside from leadership two years ago, and the other top leaders also made way for the new era.

The Democratic leaders campaigned across the nation in the run-up to the November elections, Jeffries and the others raising tens of millions of dollars and rallying volunteers to get out the vote for their candidates.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Democrats picked up a few seats in hard-fought regions, including Jeffries’ home state of New York and in California. But they also lost seats elsewhere and failed to topple some GOP incumbents, and overall there was little change in the House.

Jeffries said despite the GOP’s claims of a sweeping mandate to govern, their numbers in the House are essentially at a draw with Democrats.

“This notion of some mandate to make massive, far right, extreme policy changes, it doesn’t exist — it doesn’t exist,” Jeffries said.

The trio of leaders ran unopposed in Tuesday's closed-door elections that also filled other leadership positions, including Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado as the Assistant Democratic Leader, Rep. Ted Lieu of California as the vice chair of the caucus.

In the other contests, members were elected as co-chairs of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee — Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Rep. Laurie Trahan of Massachusetts and Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. The DPCC's chair of the co-chairs went to longtime Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, who pushed past a challenge from rising newcomer Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas.

Republicans under Johnson are left holding the majority by a so-slim margin — their numbers diminishing in the new year as Trump has tapped three GOP lawmakersElise Stefanik, Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz to serve in his administration. Some need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Those tight numbers in the House, with some races still uncalled, give Jeffries and the Democrats enormous sway to deliver the votes needed to ensure bills are passed, if Johnson finds he is unable to govern with his slim majority, as happened in the past two years of a chaotic Congress.

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