Who is Hakeem Jeffries? Democrats line up behind House speaker nominee as Republicans flail

As of Tuesday afternoon, two weeks after booting out Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-CA as Speaker of the House, Republicans still have not settled on a replacement. The first vote for nominee Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio fell short, with 20 GOP legislators voting against him, including some Florida resistance. The previous nominee, House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, dropped out last week due to lack of support.

House Democrats, by contrast, have all lined up behind one man: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

They did the same in January, with all 212 of them voting for Jeffries in nearly all 15 tries it took for the GOP to elect McCarthy (one rep missed one round of voting).

Here's what else you need to know about the US Representative from NY's 8th District.

Who is Hakeem Jeffries?

Hakeem Sekou Jeffries, 53, is a lifelong Brooklyn native and resident born to a social worker and a caseworker.

Jeffries was raised in the Crown Heights neighborhood, graduated from Midwood High School, got a bachelor's degree in political science at the State University of New York and a master's in public policy from Georgetown University, according to his bio. After graduating from New York University of Law he clerked for U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. and then practiced law for several years at different well-regarded firms.

Jeffries still lives in Brooklyn, in Prospect Heights, with his wife Kennisandra Arciniegas Jeffries, who is herself a social worker, and their two sons.

When did Hakeem Jeffries get into politics?

Jeffries became a member of the New York State Assembly in 2007, representing the 57th District for five years and introducing over 70 bills including the Stop-and-Frisk ban and a law against counting prison populations as part of the public population, both signed into law.

In 2012 Jeffries was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 8th District, unseating a 30-year incumbent, where he has served since. Jeffries was chosen to be the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the fifth-ranking member of the Democratic leadership. He also served as the Congressional Black Caucus whip.

When the first impeachment case was brought against former president Donald Trump in 2020, Jeffries was one of the seven House managers chosen to present the case against him.

When did Hakeem Jeffries become the House Democratic leader?

Jeffries was unanimously elected by House Democrats to lead the party in November, 2022, to succeed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Jeffries is the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress.

What are Hakeem Jeffries' political views?

Jeffries describes himself as a centrist or "pragmatic progressive" and has a reputation for reaching across the aisle to work with others, but he is firm in his beliefs on prison reform, gun control, abortion, criminal justice reform and everyday costs for Americans, among others.

At several points during the Speaker selection process, Jeffries has condemned what he called a "civil war" between different GOP factions and has offered bipartisan solutions. Recently he told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "informal" discussions have been underway “to ensure that votes are taken on bills that have substantial Democratic support and substantial Republican support so that the extremists aren’t able to dictate the agenda.”

Who are Hakeem Jeffries' parents?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries was born to mother Laneda Jeffries and father Marland Jeffries.

In an interview with journalist Farah Halime, Jeffries noted that his "public service spirit” came from his parents, both public servants themselves. His mother was a social worker while his father worked as a state substance-abuse counselor.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: What to know about Democrat choice for Speaker