Hakeem Jeffries Wins Contested House Democratic Caucus Chair Race

(Huffpost) WASHINGTON ― In perhaps the most contentious battle for House Democratic leadership Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) beat out fellow Congressional Black Caucus member Barbara Lee (Calif.) to take the Democratic Caucus chairman position the No. 5 spot in Democratic leadership in that chamber. Jeffries won the race with a vote of 123-113. With the top Democratic leadership positions uncontested the caucus chairman position became somewhat of a proxy election for calls of new blood in leadership. Jeffries 48 sought the position by arguing that he was best-equipped to represent the multitude of viewpoints in the Democratic Caucus. And Lee 72 argued that with African-American women serving as a backbone to the Democratic Party it made sense for an African-American woman to serve in Democratic leadership. Read More