Washington – House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries The party is set to lead the Democrats for the next two years despite being in the minority. fail to flip control of the lower house in the 2024 elections.
Democrats are holding their leadership election on Tuesday and are expected to endorse the New York Democrat without opposition as the party seeks to retain its leadership as it faces a crushing defeat in the 2024 elections.
Democratic caucus chair Representative Pete Aguilar of California was re-elected Tuesday morning, and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts is also expected to continue her role in the 119th Congress, which begins in January.
Still, there was some uncertainty in one race, as Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas launched an eleventh-hour challenge against Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan for chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. Dingell was still seen as the favorite in Tuesday's polls.
Jeffries made history in 2023 when he became the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi As the top Democrat in the lower house. He was set to make history again as the first black speaker as Democrats gained control of the House.
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Before Election Day, the Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to regain the majority. Although Democrats won more than a handful of Republican-held seats in this month's election, they lost the same number of seats. The party also lost the Senate and the White House. As House Democrats hold leadership elections on Tuesday, they are still grappling with the results — and considering a path forward.
Republicans are expected to get a slight majority in the next Congress. President-elect Donald Trump's selection of several House members to serve in his administration would also temporarily shrink the majority even further until those seats are filled in special elections.
Jefferies, in An interview with NPR Last week, it said the narrow margin and division among House Republicans had effectively given Democrats the majority in many cases.
“Because of the closeness of the margins, Democrats have effectively governed in the majority, even though we're in the minority. And that's what we'll be doing as we move forward,” Jefferies said, pointing to the many votes to avoid a government shutdown. “The mobility will be there.” Democrats provided the majority in the last two years.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said last week that he has “begged and pleaded” for Trump to stop poaching House members for his administration.
Republicans held their leadership elections last week, Supporting Johnson for another term As a speaker. Johnson expressed confidence that he will win the post of Speaker in the first round of voting in the House in January.