众议院民主党人周三选出了具有历史意义的新一代领导人。
众议员哈基姆·杰弗里斯纽约将接替南希·佩洛西成为民主党党团领袖。
52岁的杰弗里斯将成为第一位领导国会政党的黑人议员。
Hakeem Jeffries arrives for leadership elections where he is expected to become the top Democrat in the House when Nancy Pelosi steps down as speaker, at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 30, 2022.
J.斯科特·阿普尔怀特/美联社
党鞭将是一名女性——马萨诸塞州的凯瑟琳·克拉克(Katherine Clark)，第三名是加利福尼亚州的皮特·阿吉拉尔(Pete Aguilar)，他将在1月6日的高调委员会中脱颖而出，成为国会中级别最高的拉美裔人。
选举是秘密进行的，成员们以无记名投票方式投票。三个人都没有竞争对手。
杰弗里斯在当选后的一份声明中说，他和他新当选的同事将从“标志性”的前任那里继承他们的角色，并在当前政治时刻以“严肃和庄重”的态度工作。
“与我的朋友和领导伙伴，即将上任的民主党党鞭凯瑟琳·克拉克和即将上任的党团会议主席皮特·阿吉拉尔一起接受这一荣誉，我感到特别荣幸。凯瑟琳代表了玻璃天花板上的另一个重要裂缝，是佩洛西议长传统的开拓者。“她让我们所有人都感受到了关注和倾听，并将不懈努力支持我们的民主党核心小组。我观察过皮特如何把人们团结在一起做成事情，卷起袖子，就像只有前任市长才能做到的那样。凯瑟琳、皮特和我将紧密合作，为普通美国人而努力奋斗。”
佩洛西发表声明祝贺她的继任者，以及克拉克和阿吉拉尔。
“祝贺候任领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯、候任执鞭凯瑟琳·克拉克和候任主席皮特·阿吉拉尔!这些新一代的领导人共同反映了我们伟大国家的活力和多样性，他们将以他们新的能量、想法和视角重振我们的核心小组。现在，我们的成员对我们充满信心，我们的新领导人已经做好充分准备，继续民主党为工人家庭和捍卫民主而斗争，”她说。
在选举前的参议院会议上，参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)指出了新当选领导层的“重大”和历史性:第一位领导国会众议院的美国黑人的进步，第一位占据第三位的拉美裔美国人。
“哈基姆·杰弗里斯被提升为众议院民主党领袖是美国国会历史上的一个转折点。从来没有一位非裔美国领导人或者任何一位有色人种领导人在任何一个议院中担任任何一个政党的最高职位。
佩洛西在感恩节前宣布她打算在20年后离开自己的角色，随后迎来了新的领导。在宣布她的决定之前，这位82岁的领导人说，她希望为民主党的“新一代”监督铺平道路。
83岁的众议院多数党领袖Steny Hoyer和82岁的众议院多数党党鞭Jim Clyburn也宣布，他们将在佩洛西宣布后不久辞去领导职务。
她说:“让新一代人来领导我非常尊重的民主党核心小组的时候到了。”
杰弗里斯和59岁的克拉克一起。43岁的阿吉拉尔标志着众议院民主党领袖地位的代际转移。
舒默在周三伤感地提到了后卫的变化，然后花了一点时间表扬了他的布鲁克林同胞，他认识他多年了。
“今天的集会不同于我们以前见过的任何集会。首先，它标志着一个辉煌时代的结束。正如我亲爱的朋友发言人南希·佩洛西已经选择辞去领导职务。我们这辈子再也不会看到像佩洛西议长这样的人了。但她的潜在继任者将凭借自己的能力创造历史，”他开始说道。
“我认识哈基姆·杰弗里斯已经很久了，从他2006年第一次被选入纽约州议会的那天起。当我第一次见到他时，我想的和我第一次见到佩洛西议长时想的一样，这是一个拥有一切的人。”
白宫对杰弗里斯历史性的新角色表示祝贺。
白宫新闻秘书郭佳欣·让-皮埃尔在每日新闻发布会上告诉美国广播公司新闻的伊丽莎白·舒尔茨说:“我应该说，总统向他的朋友，国会议员杰弗里斯致以衷心的祝贺，因为他标志着深远的重要历史，成为国会参众两院两党的第一位黑人领导人。”。
第118届国会要到明年1月才宣誓就职。共和党人预计将重新控制众议院，在获得共和党议长提名后，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡将执掌众议院。
杰弗里斯在当选后的一份声明中指出，他愿意与共和党人合作，同时继续为共和党的优先事项而斗争。
“我们将继续把人民置于政治之上，为我们所有的价值观而战。他在一份声明中说:“众议院民主党人将提升工人家庭、中产阶级和那些渴望成为其中一员的人、年轻人和老年人、退伍军人、穷人、病人和受折磨的人以及最少的人、迷路的人和被遗忘的人。”。
“我们将随时随地寻找与共和党人的共同点，但在必要时反对过道另一边的极端主义。”
Hakeem Jeffries makes history as 1st Black party leader in Congress
House Democrats on Wednesday elected a historic new generation of leaders.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries ofNew Yorkwill succeed Nancy Pelosi as leader of the Democratic Caucus.
The 52-year-old Jeffries will be the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.
The whip will be a woman -- Katherine Clark of Massachusetts -- and the No. 3, Pete Aguilar of California, will become the highest-ranking Latino in Congress after rising in prominence from his perch on the high-profile Jan. 6 committee.
Elections took place behind closed doors and members voted by secret ballot. All three ran unopposed.
In a statement following his election, Jeffries said he and his newly elected colleagues will inherit their roles from "iconic" predecessors and work with the "seriousness and solemnity" of the present political moment.
"I am particularly humbled to be accepting this honor alongside my friends and partners in leadership, incoming Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and incoming Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. Katherine represents another important crack in the glass ceiling, a trailblazer in the tradition of Speaker Pelosi," he said. "She makes all of us feel seen and heard and will work tirelessly to support our Democratic Caucus. I have watched how Pete brings people together to get things done, rolling up his sleeves as only a former Mayor can do. Katherine, Pete and I will work closely together fighting hard for everyday Americans."
Pelosi issued a statement congratulating her successor, as well as Clark and Aguilar.
"Congratulations to Leader-designate Hakeem Jeffries, Whip-designate Katherine Clark and Chairman-designate Pete Aguilar! Together, this new generation of leaders reflects the vibrancy and diversity of our great nation -- and they will reinvigorate our Caucus with their new energy, ideas and perspective. Now, with the fullest confidence of our Members, our new Leaders are well-prepared to carry on Democrats' fight for working families and defense of Democracy," she said.
On the Senate floor ahead of the elections, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted the "momentous" and historic nature of the newly elected leadership: the advancement of the first Black American to lead a chamber of Congress, the first Latino American to occupy a No. 3 slot.
"Hakeem Jeffries' elevation as House Democratic Leader is a turning point in the history of the United States Congress. Never before has an African American leader - or any leader of color - held the top position for either party in either chamber," he said.
The ushering in of new leadership follows Pelosi's pre-Thanksgiving announcement of her intention to step away from her role after 20 years. In her remarks before declaring her decision, the 82-year-old leader said she wanted to pave a way for a "new generation" of oversight in the Democratic party.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 82, also announced they would step aside from their leadership posts shortly after Pelosi's declaration.
"The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect," she said.
Jeffries, along with Clark, 59; and Aguilar, 43, mark a generational shift to House Democrats' top spots.
Schumer on Wednesday sentimentally noted the changing of the guard before taking a moment to praise his fellow Brooklynite, whom he's known for years.
"Today's gathering is unlike anything we've seen before. For one, it signals the end of a magnificent era. As my dear friend Speaker Nancy Pelosi has chosen to step down from leadership. We'll never see someone like Speaker Pelosi ever again in our lifetime. But her potential successor will be history making in its own right," he began.
"Now I've known Hakeem Jeffries for a long time, since before the days he was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2006. When I first met him, I thought the same thing I thought when I first met Speaker Pelosi, here's someone who has it all."
The White House congratulated Jeffries on his historic new role.
"The president, I should say, sends his heartfelt congratulations to his friend, Congressman Jeffries, as he marks profoundly important history, becoming the first Black leader of either party, in either chamber of Congress," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told ABC News' Elizabeth Schulze during the daily press briefing.
The 118th Congress won't be sworn in until January. Republicans have been projected to regain control of the House, with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy at its helm after clinching the Republican nomination for speaker.
Jeffries, in a statement following his election, noted his willingness to work with Republicans while continuing to fight for his party's priorities.
"We are going to continue to put People Over Politics and fight for all our values. House Democrats will lift up working families, the middle class and those who aspire to be part of it, young people and senior citizens, veterans, the poor, the sick and the afflicted and the least, the lost and the left behind," he said in a statement.
"We will look for common ground with Republicans whenever and wherever possible, but oppose extremism on the other side of the aisle whenever necessary."
