Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, has announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House in the upcoming Congress. This follows significant wins for the Democrats in the recent midterm elections, securing both the House and Senate for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term.
On Wednesday, Jeffries addressed fellow House Democrats in a letter, celebrating their victories and seeking support for his candidacy. At a press event with House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California, Jeffries confirmed his intention to pursue the top position in the House.
Despite the election of some far-left socialists to Congress, Jeffries is expected to face minimal challenges for the Speaker’s role, thanks to the large Democratic majority. Democrats are currently projected to hold 237 seats compared to the GOP’s 139, with 59 races still pending. Jeffries anticipates that Democrats will have over 255 seats next year.
In his letter, Jeffries highlighted past achievements and his vision for the future. He emphasized finding bipartisan solutions on affordability issues and criticized the GOP’s economic policies under Trump. Jeffries argued that policies like Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran had increased living costs rather than reduced them.
“I will try to find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible,” Jeffries pledged, while committing to hold the Trump administration accountable.
His goals include reversing Republican Medicaid cuts, extending Obamacare tax credits, and ending Trump’s military actions in Iran.
House Democrats are scheduled to conduct their leadership elections in mid-December. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana will contend for the minority leader position in the next Congress.
Elizabeth Elkind, a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, wrote this article. You can follow her on Twitter at @liz_elkind.
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