Hakeem Jeffries officially launches bid for House speaker

Andrew Solender

A man in a dark suit with an American flag lapel pin stands at the front of a conference room, speaking to a seated audience while cameras and reporters photograph in the dim background. — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at DCCC headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) formally launched his bid for speaker of the House on Wednesday in a letter to colleagues obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Jeffries is widely expected to secure the speaker's gavel after House Democrats' landslide midterm win. He would make history as the first African American to serve in the role.

Jeffries, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, has led the House Democratic caucus since former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stepped down in 2022.

What he's saying: "I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives," Jeffries wrote.

"We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority," he continued.
Jeffries wrote that "every single member of our majority will play a meaningful role" and that his goal is to empower House Democrats to "act decisively in three key areas: (1) Affordability (2) Accountability and (3) American Values."

Between the lines: While some incoming progressive and red-district Democrats have declined to commit to supporting Jeffries for speaker, he is not expected to face any serious opposition for the role.

The big majority House Democrats won on Tuesday will further help to insulate him from any would-be rebels in his caucus.

Zoom out: Jeffries' senior leadership team is similarly expected to run uncontested:

Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) for majority leader.
Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) for majority whip.
Democratic Caucus vice chair Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) for Democratic caucus chair.
Assistant Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) for assistant speaker.

Read the letter in full, via DocumentCloud:

Open embedded content from documentcloud.org

Go deeper: Mike Johnson bows out of leadership after crushing House GOP defeat

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.

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Hakeem Jeffries officially launches bid for House speaker

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