Hakeem Jeffries

Hakeem Jeffries
House Minority Leader
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
DeputyKatherine Clark
Preceded byKevin McCarthy
Leader of the House Democratic Caucus
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
DeputyKatherine Clark
Preceded byNancy Pelosi
Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byJoe Crowley
Succeeded byPete Aguilar
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Serving with Cheri Bustos and David Cicilline
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded bySteve Israel (Chair)
Succeeded byMatt Cartwright
Debbie Dingell
Ted Lieu
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 8th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byEdolphus Towns (Redistricting)
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 57th district
In office
January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2012
Preceded byRoger Green
Succeeded byWalter Mosley
Personal details
Born
Hakeem Sekou Jeffries

(1970-08-04) August 4, 1970 (age 54)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kennisandra Arciniegas
Children2
RelativesLeonard Jeffries (uncle)
Education
WebsiteHouse website

Hakeem Sekou Jeffries (/ˌhɑːˈkiːm/; born August 4, 1970)[1] is an American politician. He is the U.S. Representative for New York's 8th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[2][3] In 2023, he became the House Minority Leader, the first African-American to hold this position or to be a congressional party leader.[4][5]

Personal life

Jeffries was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He studied at Binghamton University, Georgetown University and New York University. In 1997, he married Kennisandra Arciniegas. They have two children.

Political career

Jeffries was elected and reelected, serving in the New York State Assembly for a Brooklyn district from 2007 to 2012.[6] During this time, he introduced over 70 bills.[7]

On November 28, 2018, Jeffries defeated California Congresswoman Barbara Lee to become chair of the House Democratic Caucus.[8] His term began when the new Congress was sworn in on January 3, 2019.[9]

On November 30, 2022, Jeffries was elected to lead the Democratic Party caucus in the House of Representatives in 2023,[10] replacing Nancy Pelosi.[11]

When Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker, Jeffries handed him the gavel after a 15-minute speech.[12] The speech was called the "ABCs of Democracy".[13] The video of Jeffries's alphabet speech has been viewed over 2.4 million times on social media alone.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Hakeem Sekou Jeffries – New York – Bio, News, Photos". Washington Times. 2012-10-12. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  2. ↑ Kuntzman, Gersh (2012-06-27). "Hakeem Jeffries Defeats Charles Barron in Bitter Democratic Primary - The Local – Fort-Greene Blog - NYTimes.com". Fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2011-03-05. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  3. ↑ Schapiro, Julie; Colvin, Jill (7 November 2012). "New York Elections 2012: Gillibrand, Jeffries, Meng Declare Victory As Obama Wins Reelection". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  4. ↑ Cowan, Richard; Warburton, Moira (2022-12-01). "U.S. House Democrats elect Hakeem Jeffries as first Black party leader". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  5. ↑ Scott, Rachel; Faulders, Katherine; Peller, Lauren; Murray, Isabella (December 1, 2022). "Hakeem Jeffries makes history as 1st Black party leader in Congress". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  6. ↑ Schapiro, Julie; Colvin, Jill (November 7, 2012). "New York Elections 2012: Gillibrand, Jeffries, Meng Declare Victory As Obama Wins Reelection". huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Hakeem Jeffries: Sponsored Legislation". New York State Assembly. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ Fuller, Matt (November 28, 2018). "Hakeem Jeffries Wins Contested House Democratic Caucus Chair Race". Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018 – via Huff Post.
  9. ↑ "Democrats nominate Pelosi for speaker, a show of strength to be tested in the next Congress". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  10. ↑ Hughes, Eliza Collins and Siobhan. "House Democrats Pick Hakeem Jeffries to Lead Party". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  11. ↑ Vazquez, Maegan; Vogt, Adrienne; Chowdhury, Maureen; Hammond, Elise; Meyer, Matt (2022-11-17). "Live updates: Nancy Pelosi announces she will not run for leadership post". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  12. ↑ "Democratic Rep. Trone Rushes From Surgery in Hospital Socks to Cast Speaker Vote". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  13. ↑ "Opinion: With his 'alphabet speech,' Hakeem Jeffries proves he knows his ABCs – and how to elevate political oratory". The Globe and Mail. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  14. ↑ Bickerton, James (2023-01-07). "Hakeem Jeffries a-z house speech viewed 2.4 million times". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-07-18.

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