WASHINGTON — For the first time in American history, a Black man is in line to lead the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrats won back control of the House on Nov. 3, CBS News projected late on election night, putting House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn on track to become Speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January. Democrats also took control of the Senate, according to network projections, giving the party both chambers of Congress.
“America is back,” Leader Jeffries told supporters in Washington that night. He called it a change election and said voters had asked for dramatic change, with Democrats promising to focus on making everyday life better for working families.
A first, after a first
Leader Jeffries, first elected to Congress in 2012, already made history in 2023 when he became the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in either chamber of Congress. The speakership would put him second in line to the presidency and give him control over what bills reach the House floor.
The full House will vote on its speaker when the new Congress is sworn in. With a Democratic majority, Leader Jeffries is expected to win.
A strong night for Black members
Black candidates held key seats across the country. In Alabama, Rep. Shomari Figures won reelection in the 2nd Congressional District, even after a redrawn map eliminated one of the state’s two majority-Black districts.
Closer to home, the incoming Congress will include Rep. Lateefah Simon of Oakland, reelected in the East Bay, and Rep.-elect Frederick Douglass Haynes III of Dallas, who grew up at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco.
The speakership vote is expected in early January.
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