CAUCUS MEMBERS REPRESENT 82 MILLION PEOPLE

”It’s about showing up and listening to constituents and having them shape for me what their priorities are,” said Horsford, who last week won reelection in Nevada’s 4th District.

Horsford on Wednesday sent a letter to declare his candidacy as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which was created in the 1970s to address issues important to Black Americans and advocate for legislative items. There are 56 Black members in the House.

“My title and my job description are the same — representative,” said Horsford, who for the past two years was the first vice chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “I represent everyone, whether they (voted) for me or not. This position will allow me another avenue to act on behalf of my constituents.”

Members vote Nov. 30 on the next chairman. That person would assume their role Jan. 3 and serve for two years.

In a letter to current chairwoman Joyce Beatty, D-ohio, Horsford detailed some of his work with the group the past two years, including serving in 2020 as a liaison between the Congressional Black Caucus and President Joe Biden’s administration to lobby for Black representation throughout the administration.

He had a hand in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provided $250 million for community violence intervention programs as part of Horsford’s Break the Cycle of Violence Act legislation. It was the first major gun legislation passed by Congress in three decades, and was extremely personal for Horsford — his father was killed in gun violence.

“We are trying to break the cycle of violence,” he said.

Horsford wrote that the uniqueness of his district, where constituents in rural communities have massively different needs than those in North Las Vegas, gives him a perspective needed to take on the top leadership role with the Congressional Black Caucus. Part of the job is meeting with leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to identify legislative items to address items of disparity in everything from health care to business development.

“We represent 82 million people,” he said, referring to the residents in the districts of members of the Congressional Black Caucus. “It is not only the interest of the Black community, it is in the interest of representing all communities and lifting everyone up.”

Horsford said he had long been drawn to that mentality, including in the private sector where he operated a culinary training academy that helped thousands of Las Vegas-area workers land employment in the hospitality industry.

“My focus, whether I am an elected (official) or not, is to help other people obtain the skills they need to pursue a better life,” he said.