Pelosi steps down as House Democratic leader

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she is stepping down from her leadership role after nearly two decades.
• Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is poised to succeed Pelosi as House Democratic leader in 2023.
• Jeffries, if voted, would become the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she will step aside from her leadership role after nearly two decades, capping a historic career as the Democratic Party’s longest-serving House leader.

“I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” Pelosi, who will remain a member of Congress, said in remarks from the House floor to a packed chamber of Democratic lawmakers. “For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.”

The decision comes in the wake of Republicans narrowly winning the House majority, ending Pelosi’s latest two consecutive terms as Speaker. She previously held the gavel from 2007 to 2011, making history as the first woman to do so.

“This is the most beautiful building in the world because of what it represents,” Pelosi opened her speech, calling the Capitol a “temple of our democracy, of our Constitution, of our highest ideals.” She was met with multiple standing ovations from Democrats in attendance throughout her address. 

House Democrats quickly rallied behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to succeed Pelosi after her announcement.

Jeffries, 52, was first elected to a Brooklyn-based U.S. House district in 2012 following the retirement of longtime Democratic congressman Ed Towns. He was sworn into office in January 2013.

“He’s demonstrated the ability to listen, to lead, and to do so with effectiveness and empathy,” said Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips, who has among the Democrats pushing for a new generation of leaders that better reflects the party’s young and diverse voting base.

Jeffries would be the first Black party leader in Congress and long has been viewed as Pelosi’s heir apparent.

He hasn’t formally announced his candidacy for the top spot when Democrats choose their leaders at the end of the month. But Pelosi’s decision to step down while remaining in Congress triggered a cascade of changes at the top of the Democrats’ House hierarchy that cleared his path.

Source: Insider