Hakeem Jeffries Set to Become First Black House Speaker

Hakeem Jeffries is set to become the first Black Speaker of the US House of Representatives after Democrats won majority control in the 2026 midterm elections, defeating Republicans. The 56-year-old New York Democrat will need colleague backing when the new Congress convenes January 3. Jeffries received cheers of “Speaker! Speaker!” at a Washington election watch party, saying, “This is not a partisan moment. This is a patriotic one.” He promised to deliver “dramatic change” Americans seek, with an ambitious 100-day programme focused on reducing living costs and launching investigations against the Trump administration. Jeffries, a Brooklyn-born lawyer serving since 2013, would succeed Republican Mike Johnson and lead a new Democratic team with Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar. He follows pioneering Black lawmakers like Joseph Rainey, who first presided over the House in 1870.