Jeffries elected to lead House Dems, will be the first 1st Black party leader in Congress

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who was elected leader of the House Democratic Caucus for the next Congress, held a press conference on Wednesday with Rep. Catherine Clark, D-Mass., and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., who were also elected to leadership positions. Jeffries, the first nonwhite party leader in Congress, praised his predecessor Nancy Pelosi as “an extraordinary speaker for the ages.”

Video Transcript

HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Good afternoon, everyone. It's an honor to stand before you today as the incoming House Democratic leader for the 118th Congress that will convene on January 3 and to be joined by my two good friends, amazing colleagues and partners-- the incoming House Democratic Whip Catherine Clark and the incoming Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar.

I also want to convey my thanks to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an extraordinary Speaker for the ages who has delivered so much for so many over such a significant period of time. Our caucus is better, our country is better, the world is better because of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's incredible leadership.