House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) on Nov. 5 asked her colleagues to elect her as majority leader in the next Congress. If elected, she would be the first woman to hold the post.
“Today, with pride in what we’ve achieved and confidence in what we will deliver, I ask for your support,” Clark wrote in a letter to House Democrats.
At a press conference the day after the election, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) introduced Clark as “the next majority leader of the House of Representatives and someone who will be the first woman to ever serve in that position in our 250-year journey.”
Clark’s bid is part of a broader reshuffling of House Democratic leadership after the party won control of the chamber in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Jeffries launched his bid for speaker on Nov. 4. House Democrats will hold their leadership elections on Nov. 18, Clark’s office told The Epoch Times.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), who holds the No. 3 leadership post, is running for whip.
“To help lead our caucus at this moment, I humbly ask for your vote for Democratic Whip,” Aguilar wrote in his own letter to colleagues on Nov. 5.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), the caucus vice chair, is in line to succeed Aguilar as caucus chair. Jeffries said Lieu would be “the highest-ranking Asian American ever to serve” when the new Congress begins.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), the assistant Democratic leader, is running for assistant speaker.
In a letter to colleagues, he wrote that it is “more important than ever for the House Democratic Caucus to be unified” after the party’s “decisive and overwhelming victory this week.”
Neguse, 42, would be the youngest lawmaker in congressional history to hold the post, according to a press release from his office. It also noted that he is the only senior House Democratic leader who doesn’t represent a coastal state.
In his letter, Neguse pointed to his work as chair of House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force, a role Jeffries asked him to take on this Congress. He said the task force gave members the chance to weigh in on more than 20 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
If elected, he said, he would focus on services for members, including training for district staff and help for new members adjusting to Congress.
In her letter, Clark made affordability her central pitch, writing that working families are “drowning in the cost-of-living crisis.”
She said Democrats would start by ending the war in Iran, rescinding President Donald Trump’s tariffs, reversing Republican cuts to healthcare and food assistance, and conducting oversight of the administration.
She also pledged to cut off what she called Republicans’ “giveaways to the Epstein Class.”
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis responded to the Democrats’ plans in a statement to The Epoch Times, saying President Donald Trump is “willing to work with anyone to continue delivering victories for hardworking Americans.”
“If Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people,” she said.
Clark promised rank-and-file members a “seat at the table” in writing legislation. She said she would work closely with members to understand the needs of their districts.
At the press conference, Clark said Democrats “ran as affordability Democrats” and that the people of the country would be the focus every week the House is in session.
“The campaign promises made are going to be promises kept,” she said.
Aguilar’s letter laid out a similar agenda. He said Democrats would extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, fund SNAP and Medicaid, restore Congress’ authority over tariffs, and “put an end to Donald Trump’s costly war of choice in the Middle East.”
He told reporters affordability would be the caucus’s “north star.” He said leaders would spend the next few weeks talking with members and committees before laying out a detailed agenda.
Aguilar pointed to his experience in the whip operation. He served as chief deputy whip under former Democratic Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), as an assistant whip under former Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and as whip for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition.
“If given the honor of serving as Democratic Whip, I’ll continue to ensure each and every voice in our caucus is heard as we make decisions as a team,” he wrote.
Lieu said Democrats would hold public hearings on artificial intelligence next term and pass legislation “placing guardrails on AI,” particularly on data centers.
Jeffries said the caucus has set up five working groups on affordability, covering healthcare, housing, gas and groceries, goods and utilities, and caregiving.
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