Hakeem Jeffries formally announces bid for House speaker

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) officially announced his candidacy to be the next speaker of the House on Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after Democrats’ resounding victory in the lower chamber.He is aiming — and expected — to be the first black speaker in congressional history.“Congratulations on your election to the 120th Congress,” the New York Democrat wrote in a letter to the members who have been elected to the 120th Congress. “I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.” “In the new Congress, we will aggressively fight for an affordable America,” he later wrote. “Life is way too expensive, and millions of hardworking taxpayers are drowning in this failed economy. As part of our effort to turn things around, every single member of our majority will play a meaningful role. My goal is to empower you to act decisively in three key areas: (1) Affordability (2) Accountability and (3) American Values.”The letter outlines steps House Democrats took in this Congress as the minority party to push back on Republicans and touts the bipartisan housing bill and successful discharge petitions to force a vote on legislation as Democratic wins.Jeffries is on the brink of the speakership as Democrats are celebrating victories in competitive races and ones that were not on the radar. Every incumbent Democrat in a battleground has won reelection as of Wednesday afternoon, notching victories in districts they didn’t spend in and in states they’ve been historically uncompetitive. Democrats will control both chambers of Congress for the last two years of President Donald Trump’s term.JEFFRIES SAYS NOT ‘A SINGLE MEMBER’ HAS TALKED TO HIM ABOUT IMPEACHMENTJeffries was introduced as “Speaker Jeffries” at Tuesday night’s watch party, as the crowd chanted.“Hakeem Jeffries is the right person in this moment, and he is the right leader, and we are going to be so very proud in just a few weeks when we get to say ‘Hakeem Jeffries is the speaker of the House,’” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) said late Tuesday night.