Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries becomes first Black party leader in House of Representatives
WASHINGTON -- Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries got more votes for speaker than Republican Kevin McCarthy in Tuesday's historic tally.
In the first three rounds of balloting, Jeffries received 212 votes from all Democrats in the House.
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Jeffries is the first Black party leader in the House of Representatives.
Tuesday afternoon, he was nominated as speaker by California Democrat Pete Aguilar.
"Today, Hakeem's leadership style is quite simple: spread love. It's the Brooklyn way," he said. "Madam Clerk, a Latino, is nominating for leader of this chamber a Black man for the first time in our history."
The 52-year-old was first elected to Congress in 2012.