Jeffries reelected as House minority leader

November 20, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – BROOKLYN U.S. REP. Hakeem Jeffries has been reelected unopposed to the post of House Democratic Leader in a private ballot of Democratic representatives on Tuesday, reports the Associated Press, along with other top Congressional Democrats, leaving the party’s leadership largely in place. Jeffries gained the post in 2023 after California Rep. Nancy Pelosi stepped down.

Some had expected a change in leadership following a disappointing election for Democrats. Other observers, however, argued that Democratic leadership had managed to overperform amid a larger anti-incumbency wave that has seen parties of all political stripes swept out of power around the world in the wake of post-pandemic economic downturns. Jeffries is expected to wield significant influence in the House of Representatives despite the Democrat’s minority status. Republicans currently hold 218 seats, over the threshold for control of the House, while Democrats hold 212. Five seats are still up in the air, with votes still being counted; President-elect Trump’s nomination of several House Republicans to cabinet posts may also affect the balance of power.

“We are prepared to work hard to find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues and the incoming administration on any issue, whenever and wherever possible. But at the same period of time, we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary,” Jeffries said on Tuesday.

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