Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn is elected leader of House Democrats

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn was elected leader of the House Democrats in a closed-door vote in Washington on Wednesday morning, positioning him to become the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in either chamber of Congress.

Jeffries’ ascent was cleared by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to step down from atop the party ranks in the next Congress. The 82-year-old California Democrat led her party’s House caucus for two decades and was granted the title of speaker emerita on Tuesday night.

“This honorific reflects Speaker Pelosi’s lifetime of service as a legendary legislator, notorious negotiator and a fabulous facilitator,” Jeffries said in a statement on Tuesday night, as Democrats prepared for a generational passing of the torch in the House.

Jeffries, a 52-year-old former state Assemblyman, has served in Congress for a decade, earning a reputation as one of the Democrats’ most skilled communicators, liable to borrow Bible verses or to lift lyrics from the Notorious B.I.G.

He was raised in Crown Heights and now lives in Prospect Heights, less than a mile from Sen. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader and a Park Slope Democrat.

In the midterm elections, Republicans won back control of the House. Jeffries is set to step in as minority leader when the next Congress is seated in January.

“Democrats are going to look for common ground with the other side of the aisle whenever and wherever possible, but make sure that we oppose extremism on the other side of the aisle whenever necessary,” Jeffries said in a Tuesday news conference.

“We look forward to the challenges that lie ahead for our country,” Jeffries said. “Democrats at our best fight for the people. That’s not a slogan. That’s a way of life.”

Republicans took only a narrow House majority in the midterms, but are expected to gear up investigations into President Biden’s administration and family. Biden, 80, is planning to run for reelection, and his 2020 rival, former President Donald Trump, has already launched a campaign.

But even with Biden apparently revving to run, Democratic lawmakers are giving way to a new generation of leaders.

Rep. Katherine Clark, 59, of Massachusetts was elected Wednesday at the Democrats’ new House whip and Rep. Pete Aguilar, 43, of California was tapped to be the next caucus chairman.

Also stepping back is the current House majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, 83, of Maryland, and the Democratic whip, Rep. James Clyburn, 82, of South Carolina.

But the most momentous shift is the handoff from Pelosi to Jeffries. Pelosi, who plans to stay in Congress as a backbencher, is seen as a brilliant legislative tactician and a ferocious fund-raiser.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.