Hakeem Sekou Jeffries is the House Minority Leader, marking a historic milestone as the first Black lawmaker to lead a major political party in the United States Congress. He succeeded Nancy Pelosi in 2023, representing a generational shift in Democratic leadership. An incredibly disciplined and articulate lawyer from Brooklyn, Jeffries has managed to keep the historically fractious Democratic caucus remarkably unified during periods of extreme Republican dysfunction. In the 119th Congress, Jeffries functions as the tip of the spear for the Democratic opposition against the Trump administration. He leverages the Republicans' razor-thin House majority to exact massive concessions, often acting as the de facto Speaker when conservative hardliners refuse to pass basic funding bills. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Jeffries is singularly focused on reclaiming the House majority, campaigning aggressively against what he terms "Republican extremism" and the economic impacts of the administration's tariff and deportation policies.