Dem
50
Ties
1
GOP
49
Easy peasy. No drama, no blackmail, no outrageous demands. The Democrats just picked Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as their leader in waiting. Given the total lack of drama, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is jealous as all hell. The #2 person in the new leadership is Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA). The #3 is Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA). This is a whole new generation: Jeffries is 52, Clark is 59, and Aguilar is 43. They are replacing a team of octogenarians.
The new team is not exactly overflowing with old white men. Jeffries is Black, Clark is a woman, and Aguilar is a Latino. Jeffries is the first Black person to lead any party in either chamber of Congress. The one holdover from the old team, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), is old, but not white. On the other hand, he might not survive on the team. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) is planning to challenge him for the #4 slot. Clyburn is 82. Cicilline, who is white, is 61. If Cicilline wins, the top four leaders will all have been replaced by much younger people. (V)