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Hakeem Jeffries wins second term as House Dem leader

Mandatory Credit: Photo by WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (14914136i) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol, in Washington, DC, USA, 15 November 2024. Congress has returned following the 2024 elections where Republicans won enough seats to control the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. US Congress returns following the 2024 elections, Washington, USA - 15 Nov 2024 US Congress returns following the 2024 elections, Washington, USA - 15 Nov 2024

In addition to Jeffries, 54, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) were re-elected to their respective offices for two-year terms. House assistant minority leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) and Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) also won re-election.

With Republicans projected to retain the lower chamber, Jeffries struck a conciliatory tone with his fellow Democrats in private, telling his colleagues that “the buck stops with me,” Axios reported last week.“We’ve fallen short of the majority, and that is bitterly disappointing,” the Brooklyn Democrat told reporters.

Jeffries has publicly vowed to work with the incoming Republican trifecta to pursue bipartisan legislation and expressed optimism that Democrats will make a comeback in the future.

Some House Democrats have privately vented that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been casting a shadow over Jeffries with her moves to remove President Biden from the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket.

One senior Democrat complained to Axios that the Californian “needs to take a seat,” while a member of the Congressional Black Caucus claimed, “I don’t think she is being respectful of him.”

“I think Speaker Emerita Pelosi has been incredibly respectful of the entire leadership team,” Jeffries told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday in a bid to smooth over any rifts.

“It’s an honor to stand on the shoulders of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an incredibly consequential public servant in the history of America, and to continue to work closely with Speaker Pelosi and, of course, Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer.”

Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) won an internal contest to be the Republican nominee for speaker in the next Congress.

Johnson, 52, and Jeffries will square off for the gavel once the 119th Congress convenes Jan. 3.

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