Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse to seek assistant speaker job in Congress

• It would also make him the highest-ranking member of Congress from Colorado in modern history and the youngest assistant speaker.

Driving the news: Neguse, 42, sent a letter to Democratic colleagues pointing to his district spanning rural, suburban and urban areas—as a demonstration of this ability to bring people together.

• He currently serves as assistant Democratic leader, the minority-party counterpart to the assistant speaker. He's not expected to face opposition for the new post.
• He's also the youngest on the leadership team and the only one from a non-coastal member state.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi created the assistant speaker post in 2010 to expand the party's leadership team.

What he's saying: "With our decisive and overwhelming victory this week, it is more important than ever for the House Democratic caucus to be unified in the 120th Congress, and to repay the faith that the American people have put in us to lower costs, end corruption, and deliver for working families," Neguse said in the letter.

The big picture: Neguse won a fifth term Tuesday to represent Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, easily defeating a Republican challenger with 75% of the vote, according to preliminary results.

The intrigue: Beyond his leadership bid, he chairs the House Democrats' Litigation Task Force, a role that will put him front and center in the fight against Trump's executive orders and agency actions.

Fun fact: The last Colorado lawmaker to serve in a high-ranking House leadership post is U.S. Rep. Edward Taylor, who was the Democratic Caucus chair in the 74th Congress (1935-1937).