House Democrats voted on Tuesday to keep their top leadership team in place, voicing overwhelming confidence in Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his top deputies exactly two weeks after a disappointing Election Day relegated them to the minority for another two years.
In a closed-door meeting in the Capitol basement, rank-and-file Democrats tapped Jeffries to remain the House minority leader, while voting to keep Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) as Democratic whip, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) as Caucus chairman and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) as the vice chairman. They also voted in Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) as assistant Democratic leader.
The results were no surprise. All four leaders had risen to the top of the party in 2023, after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her top deputies — Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) — stepped out of power after almost two decades together at the helm. The shift marked a generational realignment that many in the caucus had been clamoring for, and the younger leaders are all popular figures who were expected to keep their leadership posts in the 119th Congress. None of them faced a challenger.
If the roster was no surprise, however, the positions they'll occupy was a disappointment. Heading into the Nov. 5 elections, Democrats had high hopes of flipping the lower chamber after two years........