Democratic congressman Hakeem Jeffries, the current minority leader in the US House, has officially announced his candidacy for speaker.
Democrats now hold 237 seats in the House, routing Republicans by flipping several districts and overcoming a mid-decade GOP redistricting push.
With an overwhelming majority in the lower chamber, Jeffries is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the House of Representatives in US history. In January, once the new Congress is sworn in, the body will vote on Jeffries’ candidacy and any other Democratic members who run for the position.
“Against all odds, House Democrats were consistently successful in the minority. We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority,” he said in a statement, while outlining the caucus’s plans in the new year.