- Hakeem Jeffries is a New York congressman.
- He was a New York City representative before being elected to the House of Representatives.
- He was elected the new leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
New York representative Hakeem Jeffries is the new leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives and succeeds the current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Jeffries was elected after running unopposed on Wednesday, November 30, per CNN. Since the Republicans won the House majority in the midterm elections, Jeffries, 52, will be the House Minority Leader. He clearly felt honored to be elected and tweeted his thanks. “I am humbled to be elected the new Democratic leader of the House of Representatives,” he wrote. “Ready to get to work.”
Pelosi announced in a speech in mid-November that he would not stand for re-election. When Pelosi resigned, Jeffries clearly had that much respect for her and looked up to her as a leader, just like him tweeted his thanks to her as an officer. “Announcer Nancy Pelosi is the GOAT. Thank you for all you have done for America,” he wrote. Now that he’s ready to lead the party, here’s everything you need to know about Jeffries!
1. Jeffries represents the 8th Circuit of New York
Jeffries has been a congressman since 2013. The district includes portions of Brooklyn and Queens, but will only include portions of Brooklyn due to the 2023 redistribution. Jeffries is a resident of Prospect Heights. During his nearly ten-year tenure in Congress, Jeffries has served in a variety of roles. From 2017 to 2019 he was co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. In January 2019, he became Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
2. He was an MP in New York before going to Congress.
Before running for Congress, Jeffries had campaigned for a variety of political offices for years. His first campaign came in 2000 when he ran for MP against for the first time Roger Green but lost. He had also been considered for New York City Council. He later competed after Green retired in 2006 and won. He remained a representative until his candidacy for Congress.
3. He was involved in Trump’s first impeachment
One of Jeffries’ most notable actions in the House of Representatives occurred in early 2020 when he was elected former President as one of the House Representatives Donald Trump’s first impeachment. He was very vocal during House Judiciary Committee debates on impeachment. “We must hold this President accountable for undermining America’s national security. We must impeach this president,” he said per The New York Times.
When Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Jeffries was also a vocal supporter. After the attack on the Capitol on January 6, in an address to his fellow lawmakers, he called Trump a press release. “The violent attack on the US Capitol was an act of insurgency instigated by Donald Trump,” he said at the time. “He is a clear and present threat to the health, safety and well-being of the American people and that is why this impeachment is necessary for the second time with a bipartisan majority on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
4. He is married and has two children
In addition to being a congressman, Jeffries is also a husband and father. His wife Kennisandra Arciniegas-Jeffries is a social worker and has two sons. It is clear that he is very focused on his family because he also listed his brother Hasan Kwame Jeffries’ Book Damn Lowndes as his favorite in a matter of Vote wisely.
5. He is the first black party leader in Congress.
Pelosi’s election as speaker of the House of Representatives and leader of the Democrats was historic because she was the first woman to ever hold those positions. Like Pelosi, Jeffries’ election is historic as he is the first black bipartisan leader in history.