Hakeem Jeffries poised to become first Black US House speaker

Hakeem Jeffries arrived in the House in 2013 and soon drew the attention of senior Black Democrats. Former Representative Eddie Bernie Johnson told colleagues she believed he was the one to lead, according to Representative Emanuel Cleaver. Within months, a bloc of Black Democrats began meeting regularly over dinner to plan his rise.

Jeffries is now on a clear path to be elected House speaker in January. The position ranks second only to the vice president in presidential succession and would place him at the head of a resurgent Democratic Party during President Donald Trump's final two years in office.

“A lot of people in this administration should not sleep well at night.”

Cleaver warned that many people in the Trump administration should not sleep well at night. He predicted Jeffries and his party would make life punishing for the administration.

The speakership is not guaranteed. Incoming Democratic socialists are criticizing current leaders for failing to meet the moment, and the party's activist wing remains skeptical of Jeffries' establishment stance on issues such as Medicare for All and Israel.

Some Democrats have privately criticized Jeffries, a former corporate lawyer, for being overly hesitant. Allies close to him insist he will take a decisive and aggressive approach with the speaker's gavel, pursuing confrontations with both the administration and corporate America.

Jeffries plans to promote a new era of Democratic populism centered on taxing the rich and subpoenaing CEOs. This would break with decades of cautious party efforts to avoid controversy with big business.