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Hakeem Jeffries set to become first Black House speaker amid party divisions

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is on the verge of becoming the first Black speaker of the US House of Representatives following Democrats' midterm election victory. The 56-year-old congressman faces pressure from his party's progressive wing over his cautious political approach and longstanding support for Israel.

Democrats' midterm victory positions Jeffries for historic role

Following Democrats' victory in the midterm elections on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York is positioned to become the first Black speaker of the US House of Representatives. The 56-year-old congressman celebrated what he called a "blue tsunami" that swept Democrats back into power the day after the election. The role would give him a central role in Democrats' efforts to rein in Republican President Donald Trump in the final two years of his presidency.

An online petition on Change.org calling on lawmakers to choose another speaker had collected more than 980,000 signatures by Saturday morning. Several newly elected progressive lawmakers have not said whether they will support him. The petition states that "the Speaker should represent the Democratic voters, not just the Democratic establishment" and urges others to run for the job.

From Brooklyn lawyer to House leadership

Jeffries grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in the 1970s and 1980s, as the neighbourhood was grappling with the crack cocaine epidemic. The son of two social workers, he became a lawyer, tracing his decision to pursue a career in law back to the 1992 riots that erupted in Los Angeles after four white police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. According to Jeffries, the events crystallized "the fact that we still had a long way to go to eradicate social and racial injustice."

Jeffries worked as a corporate lawyer before entering politics, losing two runs for the New York State Assembly before winning a seat in 2006 and being elected to Congress six years later. In Washington, he helped broker a bipartisan criminal justice reform law signed by Trump in 2018. During Trump's first impeachment trial two years later, he argued that Trump should be removed from office as one of seven House impeachment managers who presented the case to the Senate.

Jeffries became caucus chair in 2019 before being unanimously chosen to succeed former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the party's House leader three years later, becoming the first Black politician to lead a party in either chamber of Congress. While Pelosi was known for her commanding approach, Jeffries has built a reputation for quietly and deliberately building consensus among his colleagues.

Progressives question approach to Trump and Israel

Some Democrats say Jeffries has been too reluctant to take firm positions and question whether he is prepared to confront Trump and Republicans in Congress aggressively enough. After the election, Jeffries declared that "the American people don't want us to get even; they want us to get things done on their behalf." Left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker pushed back, reposting a video of the comments and saying that "we definitely ARE looking for justice and accountability."

Jeffries faced criticism after reports emerged in August that he had privately met Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who does not have a formal role in the administration but has been involved in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and in Russia. Jeffries defended the meeting, saying Kushner had requested it and that he had used it to discuss the affordability crisis. Critics argued that rather than meeting privately with Kushner, Jeffries should have been preparing to investigate his business dealings.

Ahead of the election, Axios reported on a plan by some incoming progressive lawmakers, informally known as "The Bloc" and including Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York and Melat Kiros of Colorado, to use the upcoming speaker vote to win concessions from Jeffries on issues such as Medicare for All, cutting funding for ICE, and weapons shipments to Israel. The Democrats' comfortable majority makes Jeffries less dependent on progressive newcomers to secure the speakership. However, the result also makes it harder for Jeffries to argue, as he has in the past, that Republican control of Congress is hindering the Democrats' ability to advance their agenda and hold Trump accountable.

Israel policy creates deepest party divide

Jeffries has longstanding support for Israel and ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. At a conference hosted by the group in 2020, Jeffries opposed putting conditions on US aid to Israel and described Jerusalem as New York City's "sixth borough." He has been one of the top recipients of financial support from AIPAC and its network of donors, earning the nickname "AIPAC Shakur" from New York radio host Charlamagne tha God. In a celebratory post after the elections congratulating the candidates it had supported, AIPAC singled out Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer by name.

Jeffries's support for Israel throughout its war on Gaza has put him increasingly at odds with his own party, and he recently signalled that his position may be changing. In July, even as he voted against an amendment that would have cut $3.3bn in annual military aid to Israel, he acknowledged the need for a reset in US-Israel relations. In a letter to colleagues, he wrote that "a meaningful change in direction is needed."

Jeffries appears to have the speakership secured, with no serious challenger emerging so far. According to the source, with Trump still in the White House, a party grappling with its own divisions, and voters expecting change on everything from the cost of living to the war on Iran, the bigger test for Jeffries will come once he is on the job.

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