Jim Clyburn steps down from House Democratic leadership role

What he's saying: Clyburn said in a statement he has informed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and is "confident" Jeffries and the new generation of Democratic leaders "will continue the important work of putting people over politics."

• The 83-year-old former majority whip said, like Pelosi and Hoyer, he plans to seek reelection to his Charleston-based House seat in November.
• Jeffries told Axios that Clyburn “will continue to be an important leader for the House Democratic Caucus with or without a formal title.”

The backdrop: After Pelosi and Hoyer stepped down from their respective roles following the 2022 election, Clyburn, the outgoing No. 3 House Democrat, was elected to the assistant leader position.

• Jeffries was elected as leader, with Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) elected as minority whip and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) elected as Democratic Caucus chair.
• Clyburn told Axios ahead of the election that he told Jeffries he was "amenable to staying at the leadership table to be of any assistance I could be going forward, but I did not want to be in the top three."

What’s next: Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), the chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, plans to run for assistant leader, according to two Democratic leadership aides.

Go deeper: Lawmakers are ditching Congress at a record pace

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is the House minority leader, not the majority leader.