Hakeem Jeffries Faces Early Leadership Test with DCCC Pick

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 17: Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is seen outs
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Incoming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces an early leadership test when nominating someone to lead the Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee.

Punchbowl News reported that Jeffries might pick a lawmaker to run the DCCC that has not publicly announced a candidacy for the top campaign spot since there is nothing in the rules that explicitly requires the House Democrat leadership to pick someone seeking the role.

This makes one of Jeffries’s first decisions as House minority leader — picking someone for the the high-profile job — a tough one if he wants to have a chance at flipping the House back to Democrat control in 2024. The only two who have announced their interest in the position zre California Reps. Ami Bera (D) and Tony Cardenas (D).

This comes as Jeffries told Punchbowl no other candidate outside the Bera and Cardenas has expressed interest in the role and noted that he had until mid-February to nominate a candidate, even though he is expected to nominate someone in the coming weeks.  “Sooner rather than later“ he told the publication.

Punchbowl noted that Democrat lawmakers had mentioned numerous potential candidates for the position, such as Reps. Don Beyer (VA), Derek Kilmer (WA), Terri Sewell (AL) and Suzan DelBene (WA).

Although Beyer told Punchbowl he is “happy to help Hakeem,” but he is “not running against” the other two lawmakers. “I love the DCCC…But Ami and Tony are both in line and seem to really want to do it. So as long as Hakeem is comfortable with either or both of them, that’s fine,” he added.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) reportedly had been “suggested” by other lawmakers, but he also told Punchbowl he was not interested in the job.

Bara, who reportedly did not know other names were being brought up to fill the top campaign spot, told Punchbowl, “I imagine that Hakeem is talking to both me and Tony… It’s certainly his prerogative to see if there’s anyone else that’s interested.”

On the likely possibility that either Bera or Cardenas will be picked, Punchbowl noted the concerns there are about either member:

The discussion about another candidate for the role is evidence of how unhappy some Democrats are over the two available choices for DCCC chair. Unions have raised objections to Bera. And some members are also concerned about Cárdenas’ links to controversial figures in California politics, as well as allegations of child sexual abuse from a lawsuit that was subsequently dropped.

The current chair of the committee, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), lost his own reelection in November after Republicans took advantage of him being in a weak Democrat district and promising not to spend any of the DCCC’s money on his own district, even though he ended up receiving help in the end.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.

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