_x000D_Photo: href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rep-Hakeem-Jeffries-Offical-Portrait-1638×2048.jpg”>Office of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who is the first Black politician to lead either party in the US Congress?

The House Democrats formally elected Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York to be their leader on Jan. 3, 2023, uniting around the liberal lawyer to fight a Republican majority. At 52, Jeffries represents a generational shift for House Democrats after two decades under Nancy Pelosi. He’s the first black politician to lead either party in Congress. In the first rounds of voting for speaker, Jeffries got more support than the main Republican candidate, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California – but not enough to win.