Rising star Hakeem Jeffries announces bid to lead U.S. House Democrats

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. congressman Hakeem Jeffries yesterday formally launched a bid to become the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she was giving up her leadership role.

If he wins the Nov. 30 House Democratic leadership election, Jeffries would become the first Black lawmaker to head a party caucus in Congress. Jeffries, at age 52 three decades younger than Pelosi, would embody not only the party's diverse voter base but also a new generation of leadership in the House.

Pelosi's decision to step down after two decades leading the House Democratic caucus came a day after Republicans cemented a narrow majority in the chamber and prepared to name a speaker from their own party.

If he gets the job, Jeffries would have to navigate not only the responsibilities of being the head of a minority party in the chamber - balancing when to cooperate with Republicans and when to defend President Joe Biden's agenda - but also the delicate task of keeping his fellow Democrats on the same page. One of the trickiest challenges could be easing tensions between the party's centrists and its restive left flank.

The often-reserved Jeffries - known as "Kool Ha" by college fraternity brothers for his measured speaking style, according to the Almanac of American Politics put on a more pugilistic display at a news conference this week. He lashed out at what he called "extreme MAGA Republicans" taking control of the House - a reference to Republican former President Donald Trump's "Make America Great" slogan.