Democratic Minority Leader of the House of Representatives

The 116th Congress officially convened on Thursday with Democrats taking control of the Business firm of Representatives for the starting time time in eight years. And with Democrats' newfound power and Republicans' offset time in the minority in virtually a decade, both parties saw a shuffle in their leadership teams.

The Democratic leadership is a diverse slate, representing the record number of women and minorities their new conclave brings to Capitol Colina — Nancy Pelosi is resuming her place as the first female person Business firm speaker in history, with four other top positions either being filled by a woman or person of colour.

Republicans, nonetheless, have a leadership slate made up almost entirely of white males.

Hither'south who you need to know in House leadership for both parties in the new Congress:

Democrats

House Democratic Leadership Pinnacle row: Business firm Majority Whip James Clyburn of Due south Carolina (left), Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, Autonomous Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Bottom row: Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico (left), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Congressional Entrada Committee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois. Saul Loeb/AFP; Mandel Ngan/AFP (2); Drew Angerer; Zach Gibson/AFP; Fleck Somodevilla/Getty Images hide explanation

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Saul Loeb/AFP; Mandel Ngan/AFP (two); Drew Angerer; Zach Gibson/AFP; Fleck Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Democratic Leadership Top row: House Bulk Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina (left), Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, Autonomous Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Bottom row: Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico (left), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois.

Saul Loeb/AFP; Mandel Ngan/AFP (ii); Drew Angerer; Zach Gibson/AFP; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Business firm Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Pelosi made history as the first woman speaker ever when she took the gavel in 2007. Now, she retakes it again 12 years later, also making her the get-go speaker to reclaim the position in more than half dozen decades.

The San Francisco lawmaker has had her detractors, and many incoming freshmen in swing district campaigned on new leadership. On Thursday, xv in her caucus either voted for someone else or merely voted present. Nonetheless, those defections were much fewer than the 78-year-old feared last fall, showcasing her bargain-making prowess that even many Republicans privately praise her for.

She'll have to manage a caucus with diverging opinions and a vocal progressive fly, and have to grapple with a Republican Senate — something she didn't accept to contend with during her start tenure. And, of grade, plenty of clashes with President Trump too likely wait. Get-go on the agenda: trying to observe an end to the partial government shutdown, with Pelosi pledging not to budge on funding for the wall on the southern border with United mexican states that Trump says is a requirement before he will sign spending measures that would end the shutdown.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Physician.

The 79-year-quondam Hoyer also resumed the same post he had during Democrats' last turn in the majority, moving upward from serving equally minority whip for the past eight years.

Pelosi and Hoyer accept a had a long, sometimes testy, relationship. She hails from the legendary Maryland D'Alesandro political family, but that hasn't ever endeared the two to each other, though they've denied any friction in recent years. Pelosi first crush Hoyer for whip in 2001 and she backed a challenger to Hoyer for majority leader when Democrats terminal took control in 2006.

As The New York Times, recently wrote, the "Pelosi-Hoyer frenemies dynamic, long a subject of intrigue in the Capitol, is growing ever more than circuitous" as they're back in power together. But Hoyer has been a political survivor. He's the longest-serving current Democrat in the House, outset elected in 1981. Hoyer is also the only white male in the top ranks of Autonomous leadership.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.

The 78-yr-onetime Clyburn is the highest-ranking African-American lawmaker in Congress. He served as whip when Democrats had the bulk from 2007 until 2011, and then served every bit assistant Firm Democratic leader while Democrats were in the minority — a post Pelosi created especially for him when Hoyer and Clyburn were competing confronting each other later the 2010 elections. When Democrats were last in the bulk, Clyburn served equally chairman of the Business firm Democratic Caucus.

It wasn't lost on many Democrats this year, though, that the trio at the top of the leadership ranks are all in their late seventies. And in that location's a proposal Pelsoi has backed to alter that, term-limiting the acme three spots to bring modify over the side by side few years.

Banana Speaker, Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.Thou.

Lujan was awarded this No. iv post after leading the Democratic Congressional Campaign Commission for the by two cycles, resulting in a 40-seat gain in November and Democrats flipping control of the chamber. The position makes the 46-year-quondam the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, and role of a new generation of potential Autonomous leaders once the top three leaders eventually step aside.

Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-North.Y.

Jeffries narrowly defeated California Rep. Barbara Lee in caucus elections in November to claim the No. five leadership post. Some of Lee's allies claimed sexism and ageism in the vote, and criticized Jeffries every bit as well centrist. Nonetheless, the victory ready up the 48-year-old New York lawmaker, once called "Brooklyn'due south Barack Obama," as a possible speaker of the Business firm one day, which would brand him the first black Speaker in history if that happens. And his addition means at that place'due south another African-American in Autonomous leadership.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.

Bustos has the tough chore of protecting Democrats' newfound bulk, but she brings credentials to the table unlike the others atop leadership — she represents a somewhat rural Illinois district that Trump narrowly carried, not unlike many of the seats Democrats will have to defend in 2020. A political protege of Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Sick., the centrist lawmaker fifty-fifty got 4 votes for speaker from incoming moderate Democratic freshmen.

Republicans

House Republican Leadership Meridian row: Business firm Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California (left) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer of Minnesota. Lesser row: Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming (left) and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Aaron P. Bernstein; Stephen Maturen; Mandel Ngan/AFP; Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Aaron P. Bernstein; Stephen Maturen; Mandel Ngan/AFP; Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

House Republican Leadership Top row: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California (left) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer of Minnesota. Bottom row: Republican Briefing Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming (left) and Firm Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana.

Aaron P. Bernstein; Stephen Maturen; Mandel Ngan/AFP; Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Firm Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

The 53-year-sometime California lawmaker would take far preferred the title of "Speaker" post-obit Paul Ryan's retirement, but now he volition accept to learn how to maneuver being in the minority for the first time in 8 years. McCarthy defeated House Freedom Conclave co-founder Jim Hashemite kingdom of jordan of Ohio to win the meridian GOP post, and he should yet look to try to contend with a vocal conservative minority within the caucus — bug that plagued both of his predecessors. He'due south endeared himself to Trump (reportedly even keeping his favorite Starburst flavors on paw), and McCarthy'due south human relationship with the president will exist worth watching as Trump tries to win re-election and Republicans try to win back control of the House.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La.

Scalise keeps the same role he'due south held since 2014, albeit this time for the minority party. The 53-year-old Louisiana lawmaker survived a near-fatal shooting attempt in June 2022 after a human opened fire during a congressional baseball game practice, and had continued rehabilitation. "I had miracles. I had angels," he would afterward tell Politico about the bump-off endeavour. Scalise unanimously won the whip spot again when Republicans held leadership elections in November.

Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

The 52-year-former Wyoming lawmaker assumes the No. iii House GOP leadership post more than than iii decades after it was once held by her male parent, quondam Vice President Dick Cheney. She's the highest-ranking woman in GOP leadership, and causeless the position after Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers decided not to seek some other term in the party'due south leadership ranks. The political scion was first elected in 2022 and didn't brand much racket during her get-go term, but now she could go one of the GOP'due south most visible faces, particularly equally Republicans try to counter a large number of new freshmen women Democrats.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

Emmer has to attempt to find a way to win back the 18 seats Republicans need to regain command of the Firm in 2020. He takes the position later serving as a deputy NRCC chair during the 2022 bicycle. There could be divergent views within the caucus on how to do that, though. He's already gotten in a flap with New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who said she'd assistance more than GOP women win in primaries next year. After Emmer said information technology would be a "mistake" for Stefanik to attempt to arbitrate in primaries, she hitting dorsum, saying "I wasn't asking for permission."

Also on the GOP leadership squad are Republican Briefing Secretarial assistant Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Republican Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer, R-Ala.

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Source: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/06/681982396/a-guide-to-whos-who-in-house-leadership-for-the-116th-congress

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