Hakeem Jeffries, of Brooklyn, emerges as likely House Democratic leader

WASHINGTON — In a generational change, Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries emerged as the leading candidate to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader after she said Thursday she would step down from the post she has held for the past two decades.

Jeffries, at age 52 and 30 years younger than Pelosi, serves as chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and primarily has supported mainstream candidates and almost all the same policies as the current House leadership.

If elected as House minority leader for the next session of Congress, Jeffries also would follow in Pelosi's footsteps as a ground breaker: Pelosi became the first woman to be party leader and House speaker, and Jeffries would be the first Black lawmaker to serve as a party leader in Congress.

Jeffries' rise to power also would consolidate Democratic congressional influence — now split between Pelosi in California and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in New York — into Brooklyn, where Jeffries and Schumer grew up and still call home.

Despite some apprehension about a New York-centric leadership, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said: “I always think that we always get to see the bigger deal, so I'm not dismayed by people coming from one geographic section of a country.”

Pelosi, a longtime practitioner of power and politics, paved the way for Jeffries, effectively bestowing on him the Democratic House leadership in her farewell speech without mentioning his name.

“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect,” Pelosi said Thursday in the House chamber. “And I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility.”

After her speech, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) — who has long wanted to be the Democratic leader — announced he would retire from leadership, although he later told reporters he was “not happy” about it.

Hoyer offered his “strong endorsement” of Jeffries to replace Pelosi.

On Nov. 30, Democrats will meet to choose their leaders for the next two years. Several lawmakers said they expect members to elect Jeffries for the top post and reelect Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) for the number three job as House minority whip.

Lawmakers said they expected one of Jeffries’ colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus — Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), caucus vice chair, or Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), caucus assistant speaker — to be elected to the number two leadership post.

The field for House Democratic leader thinned in recent weeks.

In addition to Hoyer pulling out, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a close Pelosi ally, recently dropped his bid to take her place.

But Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) warned that Jeffries cannot become complacent and must reach out to Democratic colleagues.

“Take nothing for granted,” Meeks told Newsday. “He’s got to work.”

As House minority leader, Jeffries would face the task of keeping Democrats united as the slim Republican majority works to block Democrats’ agenda and launch investigations into President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden, the Afghanistan evacuation and other issues.

With his party’s own narrow margins, Jeffries also will have to reach out to the Democrats' progressive bloc to smooth over past clashes with them over his opposition to their candidates and support for more moderate Democrats.

But Jeffries clearly will have plenty of support from Schumer and the unusual presence of previous leadership team members who will remain in the House.

“I think Jeffries welcomes the idea of having Pelosi and Hoyer and Clyburn still in Congress to advise him,” said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who is retiring at the end of the year.

“He's enough of a leader on his own that he can get things done but he'll have the benefit of these gray-haired eminences to advise him,” Suozzi told Newsday.