In the gallery of the House, we usually invoke Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. Hakeem Jeffries quotes The Notorious BIG, a rapper from Brooklyn. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his assassination, in 2017, the New York representative chanted one of the singer’s texts in front of his peers. He also took up one of his refrains in a speech to denounce President Trump’s abuse of power during his impeachment proceedings in 2020.
Not quite the cultural credentials of her predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, who has just given up her place at 82, after having been the leader of the Democrats in the House for twenty years. Nor the same style. No more pumps and pearl necklaces of the spirited leader. The elected New Yorker wears sneakers with his suits. This is a historic transfer of power. Hakeem Jeffries is the first black to take the reins of a party in Congress. At 52, he also symbolizes a change of generation. The entire Democratic leadership in the House is also getting a facelift since Pelosi’s lieutenants, both octogenarians, are replaced by representatives Katherine Clark, 59, and Pete Aguilar, 43.
Jeffries, the son of two social workers, grew up in 1980s Brooklyn decimated by crack and violence. After studying law at New York University, he was hired by a prestigious law firm. He entered politics and ended up being elected to the local New York State Congress in 2006, then to the House of Representatives six years later. “His rise has been quite rapid and quite impressive,” said Matthew Green, a congressional scholar at the Catholic University of Washington. Despite a relatively modest legislative record. We mainly owe him, in 2018, a reform of the justice system which provides, among other things, for lighter sentences for individuals convicted of drug use and a reduction in solitary confinement for minors…
“Jeffries Ain’t a Blue”
In 2020, Jeffries was one of the elected officials in charge of the procedure ofimpeachment of President Trump. For the past two years, he has positioned himself quietly behind the scenes to succeed Nancy Pelosi, courting the various factions. With success since he had no opponent and was chosen unanimously. Which obviously contrasts with the epic and heartbreaking battle among the Republicans to elect – after 15 ballots – their leader and new speaker from the House of Representatives: Kevin McCarthy.
The father of two grown children, whose wife works in a large union organization, Jeffries has a reputation for being calm and thoughtful, like his public statements, which are always measured. A former mayor of New York had compared him to Barack Obama. He has followed a somewhat similar career and is not lacking in oratorical talent, if we judge from the speech he made in the House on election day for the speaker. In a now famous passage, he lists the democratic principles, on a rap rhythm and in the form of an alphabet. “We will always place America and its values above Autocracy, Benevolence above Intolerance, the Constitution above Cult, Democracy above Demagoguery…”
Does he have the stature of Nancy Pelosi, an effective troop leader and unparalleled coalition builder? “Jeffries is not a rookie. He studied in New York where politics is a rat race. But it will not be easy to match Pelosi”, continues Professor Green. “One of his biggest challenges will be maintaining party unity.” He will have to reconcile his left wing which accuses him of being linked to big interests and too cautious in terms of global warming. The only certainty is that the next two years will not be a cakewalk. In addition to the friction within the party, he will have to face the attacks of the Republicans reassembled to block. And its room for maneuver remains narrow, the Democrats relegated to the minority having little power.