Hakeem Jeffries to make history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress

House Democrats formally elevated Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York to be their leader on Tuesday,

uniting around a liberal lawyer and disciplined political tactician as the face of their opposition to the new Republican majority.

On a day otherwise consumed by raucous infighting among Republicans, Mr. Jeffries’s ascent made history.

He is the first Black politician to lead either party in Congress.

And, at 52, he represents a generational change for House Democrats after two decades under Representative Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. Jeffries was expected to emerge from Tuesday’s balloting as the House minority leader, given the Republicans’ narrow majority.

With the Republican Party fracturing, he ended up receiving more support in the first three rounds of voting for speaker than the main Republican candidate

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California — but not the majority needed to win.

Democrats wasted little time using the votes to try to embarrass Republicans

weaponizing the differences between Mr. Jeffries and Mr. McCarthy, a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump.

“He does not traffic in extremism. He does not grovel to or make excuses for a twice-impeached, so-called former president,”

Representative Pete Aguilar of California, the No. 3 Democrat, said of Mr. Jeffries in a nominating speech on the House floor

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