Who’s the brand new US Democratic Home Chief Hakeem Jeffries? | Politics Information

Democrats within the House of Representatives, one of many two branches of the USA Congress, have chosen New York’s Hakeem Jeffries to steer their caucus.

His appointment, following a unanimous vote on Wednesday, was historic. By no means earlier than has a Black politician been named a celebration chief within the US Congress.

Jeffries is ready to steer a Democratic get together that may lose its majority within the Home of Representatives for the primary time since 2018. In a speech following the vote on Wednesday, Jeffries mentioned the get together would attain throughout the aisle to work with Republicans.

However he added that Democrats would “push again towards extremism each time obligatory”.

So who’s Jeffries, and what does his ascension imply for the way forward for the Democratic Celebration? Let’s check out who he succeeds and the function he has performed in Congress to this point.

Humbled to be elected incoming Home Democratic Chief.

Able to get to work.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) November 30, 2022

Succeeding a ‘speaker for the ages’

Jeffries can be changing California Consultant and present House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as head of the Democratic caucus. She was the primary lady in US historical past to carry the function.

Pelosi – who represents California’s twelfth district within the San Francisco Bay Space – has served as chief of the Home Democrats for almost 20 years. Throughout her tenure, she has change into one of many nation’s strongest political figures, constructing a popularity as a talented chief able to holding her caucus collectively throughout necessary votes.

Pelosi introduced she would step apart as get together chief on November 17 together with two different high Home Democrats, Maryland’s Steny Hoyer and South Carolina’s Jim Clyburn. All three are of their 80s.

Their departure ushers in a younger generation of Democratic leadership, together with the 52-year-old Jeffries. He’s joined by 59-year-old Massachusetts Consultant Katherine Clark and 43-year-old California Consultant Pete Aguilar as whip and chairman of the caucus, respectively.

Jeffries thanked Pelosi in his speech on Wednesday, calling her an “extraordinary Speaker for the ages who has delivered a lot for thus many over such a big time period”.

“Our caucus is healthier. Our nation is healthier. The world is healthier due to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unbelievable management,” he mentioned.

Presenting a unified entrance

Jeffries is a self-described progressive. In a letter asking his colleagues to help his bid for Home Chief, Jeffries emphasised his dedication to points like racial justice, gun violence and reproductive rights.

Andy Eichar, communications director for Jeffries’s workplace, advised Al Jazeera over e mail that Jeffries has labored throughout the aisle to champion criminal justice reform and that he would defend healthcare from “right-wing assaults”.

Nevertheless, Jeffries has staked out a extra conservative place within the debate concerning the Democratic Celebration’s future and is predicted to make use of his place to beat again challenges from the get together’s extra progressive left flank.

In an interview with The Atlantic, for instance, Jeffries mentioned he would by no means “bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism”. He was additionally a vocal supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she ran within the 2016 Democratic main towards Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist.

Pushing for a unified entrance on Wednesday, Jeffries acknowledged that conversations in his get together can get “noisy”.

However, he mentioned, “as we confirmed time and time once more on situation after situation after situation, on the finish of the day we at all times come collectively.”

Assist for Israel

In his new function, Jeffries can be anticipated to convey continuity to areas such because the US relationship with Israel.

In a statement launched in February, for instance, Jeffries pushed again towards a report by rights group Amnesty Worldwide, which accused Israel of carrying out the crime of apartheid towards Palestinians.

The assertion known as the report’s accusations “demonstrably false, harmful and designed to isolate Israel in one of many hardest neighborhoods on the planet”.

In keeping with the group Open Secrets, which tracks marketing campaign contributions, Jeffries additionally counted pro-Israel advocacy groups similar to AIPAC amongst his high supporters. AIPAC has additionally endorsed dozens of Republican candidates who tried to roll again or discredit the outcomes of the 2020 election.

In a press release to Al Jazeera, Iman Abid, an advocacy director for the US Marketing campaign for Palestinian Rights, mentioned Jeffries “has repeatedly proven that he helps the Israeli apartheid regime” and known as on US voters to stress lawmakers like Jeffries to cease enabling the “oppression of the Palestinian folks”.

Waiting for the 2024 elections

Jeffries additionally faces the problem of rallying Democrats to regain their majority within the Home of Representatives in 2024.

Democrats gained control of the White House and majorities in each branches of the US Congress in 2020. However Republicans received a majority of seats within the Home through the recent midterm elections, with new members set to be sworn in on January 3.

Democrats, nonetheless, had been in a position to preserve a slim majority within the Senate. In his November letter, Jeffries known as successful again the Home majority “our high non-governmental precedence”.

Jeffries will sq. off towards Republican Home Chief Kevin McCarthy, a consultant from California who has positioned himself as a steadfast ally of former President Donald Trump. McCarthy will change into Home Speaker when the brand new Republican-majority Home convenes in January.

Although he’ll take the reins of a party in the minority, Jeffries struck a assured notice at a press convention on Wednesday, promising to “get stuff carried out”.

“We’re going to battle onerous,” mentioned Jeffries. “Each day now we have this honour to serve in Congress and ship.”