Hakeem Jeffries
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]
Hakeem Jeffries | |
---|---|
House Minority Leader | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Deputy | Katherine Clark |
Preceded by | Kevin McCarthy |
Leader of the House Democratic Caucus | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Deputy | Katherine Clark |
Preceded by | Nancy Pelosi |
Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
Preceded by | Joe Crowley |
Succeeded by | Pete 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 | |
Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
Preceded by | Steve Israel (Chair) |
Succeeded by | Matt 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 by | Edolphus Towns (Redistricting) |
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 57th district | |
In office January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2012 | |
Preceded by | Roger Green |
Succeeded by | Walter Mosley |
Personal details | |
Born | Hakeem Sekou Jeffries August 4, 1970 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Kennisandra Arciniegas |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Leonard Jeffries (uncle) |
Education | |
Website | House website |
Personal life
changeJeffries 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
changeJeffries 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
change- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Cowan, Richard; Warburton, Moira (2022-12-01). "U.S. House Democrats elect Hakeem Jeffries as first Black party leader". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Hakeem Jeffries: Sponsored Legislation". New York State Assembly. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Hughes, Eliza Collins and Siobhan. "House Democrats Pick Hakeem Jeffries to Lead Party". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Democratic Rep. Trone Rushes From Surgery in Hospital Socks to Cast Speaker Vote". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Bickerton, James (2023-01-07). "Hakeem Jeffries a-z house speech viewed 2.4 million times". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
Other websites
change- Congressman Hakeem Jeffries official U.S. House website
- Hakeem Jeffries for Congress official campaign website
- Hakeem Jeffries wiki quotes
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Hakeem Jeffries at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Vote Smart
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission