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Major Takeaways
- Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the House in American history.
- Democrats won the House majority on Tuesday and cleared the 218 seats needed to control the chamber.
- The full House will vote for speaker on Jan. 3 when the new Congress convenes in Washington.
- As speaker Jeffries would stand second in line to the presidency behind the vice president.
Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the House after Democrats won control of the chamber on Tuesday night.
The result puts the gavel within reach for the Brooklyn lawmaker who already made history as his party leader.
For Black America the moment carries weight far beyond one title or one election night celebration.
A Majority That Put the Gavel Within Reach
Democrats passed the 218 seats needed for a House majority as results came in across the country.
In races already called Democrats had won 222 seats while Republicans had won 138 seats.
Another 75 districts had not yet been called in that count and counting continued on Wednesday.
Supporters at the Democratic watch party in Washington greeted Jeffries with chants of Speaker again and again.
Jeffries told the crowd that this is not a partisan moment and that this is a patriotic one.
He said House Democrats understand this is a change election and that voters want dramatic change.
He added that things are broken and that Congress must put the American people first.
From Brooklyn to the Front of the House
Jeffries was born and raised in Brooklyn and has represented parts of the borough in Congress since 2013.
His House tenure now spans nearly 14 years and began with a focus on criminal justice policy.
He rose as a top lieutenant under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi before he became minority leader.
He became House minority leader in 2022 after Democrats lost control of the chamber that year.
That step made him the first Black politician to lead either party in the House or Senate.
He now represents an area once held by Shirley Chisholm who broke barriers from Brooklyn before him.
He grew up as the son of an Air Force veteran and a social worker in New York.
He has said growing up during the crack epidemic shaped his sense of purpose and public service.
A Path Built on Law and Community Work
Jeffries earned a degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton before graduate study.
He earned a graduate degree in public policy at Georgetown and a law degree at New York University.
He graduated magna cum laude from law school and then worked as a corporate lawyer.
He served six years in the New York State Assembly before voters sent him to Congress.
In Albany he worked on rules for warrantless stop and frisk searches by city police officers.
In Washington he helped lead the push for the First Step Act during the first Trump administration.
That law reduced sentences for some drug crimes and won support from both major parties.
He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a leader in the House Democratic caucus.
The Map Fight That Failed to Stop This Moment
Republicans redrew House districts in several states in a bid to protect their narrow majority.
By most accounts that strategy backfired as Democrats held ground in district after targeted district.
Democrats held at least eight of the 15 districts targeted in the Republican map effort.
Democrats also flipped at least four seats away from Republicans in that same fight.
In Alabama Representative Shomari Figures held his seat despite a map drawn to favor Republicans.
In Texas Representative Vicente Gonzalez was winning his South Texas district by double digits early Wednesday.
Jeffries celebrated the outcome and said Democrats had crushed the Republican gerrymander across the land.
Read more in our coverage of Black candidates and sweeping midterm wins across the country.
What a Jeffries Speakership Means for Black America
No Black lawmaker has ever held the speaker gavel in the history of the House.
The speaker is the only leadership post in Congress named in the Constitution itself.
The role stands second in line to the presidency behind only the vice president.
Jeffries would take the office from Speaker Mike Johnson when the new Congress takes power.
He would become the first Democratic speaker since Pelosi and the face of a new generation.
His rise traces an arc that began in Reconstruction after the Civil War ended slavery.
Joseph Rainey became the first Black American elected to the House in 1870 during that era.
Rainey was also the first Black lawmaker to preside with the gavel over the House chamber.
More than 150 years later Jeffries stands ready to hold that gavel in his own right.
The Capitol where he would lead is a building that enslaved African Americans helped build.
That history makes the moment personal for families who still fight for full and fair representation.
See how this connects to Keisha Lance Bottoms and her historic win in Georgia on the same night.
The Work That Starts Before January
The full House will hold its floor vote for speaker when Congress convenes on Jan. 3.
Parties usually choose their leaders first during internal caucus votes held in November.
Representative Katherine Clark is expected to become majority leader in the new House leadership team.
Representative Pete Aguilar is expected to become majority whip alongside Clark and Jeffries.
Jeffries has promised a robust agenda for the first 100 days focused on lowering daily costs.
Soaring health care costs and gas and grocery prices sit at the top of that list.
The war in Iran and concerns about corruption also shaped the choice voters made Tuesday.
Jeffries has said Democrats will launch oversight and investigations to hold the administration accountable.
Holding a diverse and often divided caucus together will test his calm and collaborative style.
Black voters helped deliver this majority and will watch closely for results they can feel.
Lower costs and fairer justice and real oversight would turn a historic night into lasting change.
Follow the still close count in our Mississippi Senate race coverage as ballots keep coming in.
