Hakeem Jeffries Expected to Lead House as Speaker in January

Residents of Bernalillo County will see a change in the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2026. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is expected to be elected speaker, a position that places him second in the presidential line of succession behind the vice president.

Jeffries currently serves as the House minority leader, a role he has held since 2022. He is the first Black politician to lead either party in the House or the Senate. If elected speaker, he will become the first Black lawmaker to hold that specific office. The House will hold a formal vote on the floor during the first session of the new Congress.

Jeffries has served in the U.S. House for nearly 14 years, representing parts of Brooklyn, N.Y., since 2013. Before entering federal politics, he served six years in the New York State Assembly. His legislative career began after working in private law practice and through a law school clinic that focused on criminal justice issues.

His early career was defined by work on policing and sentencing. In the New York State Assembly, he worked to regulate warrantless stop-and-frisk searches by the New York City Police Department. In Washington, during the first Trump administration, he helped lead the passage of the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill that reduced sentences for some drug crimes.

To pass the First Step Act, Jeffries worked closely with Jared Kushner, son-in-law to former President Donald Trump. Jeffries described the collaboration as a partnership that produced real results. He noted that getting legislation passed in Washington often requires building a coalition of unusual suspects. This working relationship led to private meetings between the two men this year, which Jeffries confirmed were held at Kushner's request to discuss affordability.

Jeffries has described the upcoming term as a change election. In a statement on Tuesday, he said that House Democrats need to deliver dramatic change because the current system is broken. He emphasized the need for a Congress that prioritizes the American people. He stated that the primary focus for the new Congress is lowering costs for Americans.

The new speaker will face challenges in managing a diverse and sometimes fractious House Democratic caucus. Jeffries has previously served as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and sponsored Medicare for All proposals. However, he has also drawn skepticism from activists on the party's left wing. He told The Atlantic in 2021 that he would not bend the knee to hard-left democratic socialism, arguing that Black progressives understand systemic racism as a defining issue in America.

Jeffries also served as an impeachment manager during the Senate trial concerning former President Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine. That trial focused on whether Trump withheld military aid to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden. Jeffries has said that impeachment is not a top priority for Democrats in Trump's second term, though he has not ruled it out entirely.

The election of Jeffries marks the end of his rise from a rank-and-file member focused on criminal justice to a top party lieutenant. He previously served under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then led the party as minority leader. His path to the speakership has required securing buy-in from a wide range of colleagues within the Democratic caucus.