House Democratic Caucus | |
---|---|
Part of | United States House of Representatives |
Floor Leader | Hakeem Jeffries (NY) |
Floor Whip | Katherine Clark (MA) |
Chair | Pete Aguilar (CA) |
Ideology | Modern liberalism |
Political position | Center-left |
Affiliation | Democratic Party |
Colors | Blue |
Seats | 213 / 435 |
Website | |
dems | |
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The House Democratic Caucus is a congressional caucus composed of all Democratic representatives in the United States House of Representatives, voting and non-voting, [1] and is responsible for nominating and electing the Democratic Party leadership in the chamber. In its roles as a party conference, the caucus writes and enforces rules of conduct and discipline for its members, approves committee assignments, and serves as the primary forum for development of party policy and legislative priorities. It hosts weekly meetings for these purposes and to communicate the party's message to members.
When the caucus holds the majority of seats, it is usually led by the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives who is assisted on the floor by the House majority leader and the party's chief whip. When in the minority, it is led by the House minority leader, assisted by the chief whip. The caucus has a Caucus chairman and Caucus vice-chair (formerly called the secretary). For the 118th Congress, Hakeem Jeffries was elected as the minority leader, Katherine Clark became the minority whip and Pete Aguilar was chosen as the Caucus chairman.
Effective with the start of the 118th Congress, the chain of command conference leadership is as follows (from highest to lowest):
The House Democratic Caucus, through its institutional antecedent, the Democratic-Republican caucus, was established on April 2, 1796, to stop a treaty with Great Britain which unfairly treated American sailors. For many years, through 1820, it nominated presidential candidates (before the era of national nominating conventions).
Since 2023, the House Democratic leader has been Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York (the first African-American congressional party leader in U.S. history). [2] He was elected to succeed longtime Democratic leader and the first woman speaker of the House in U.S. history Nancy Pelosi.
At the Organizational Meeting on November 18, 2008, of the Democratic Caucus for the 111th Congress, Representative John B. Larson (D-Connecticut) was elected Caucus chairman by acclamation. The election was presided over by the outgoing chairman of the Democratic Caucus for the 110th Congress, former representative Rahm Emanuel (D-Illinois). Rep. Larson officially assumed the position of chairman on the first day of the 111th Congress, January 3, 2009.
After his election as chairman at the Organizational Meeting on November 18, Chairman Larson presided over the election of Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-California), who defeated Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio by a vote count of 175 to 67. Rep. Becerra likewise assumed his vice-chairmanship on January 3.
Congress | Leader | District | Took office | Left office | House Speaker | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20th | Andrew Stevenson (1784–1857) | Virginia 9 | December 3, 1827 | June 2, 1834 [a] | Himself1827–1834 | ||
21st | |||||||
22nd | |||||||
23rd | Virginia 11 | ||||||
23rd | John Bell (1796–1869) | Tennessee 7 | June 2, 1834 | March 4, 1835 | Himself1834–1835 | ||
24th | James K. Polk (1795–1849) | Tennessee 9 | December 7, 1835 | March 4, 1839 | Himself1835–1839 | ||
25th | |||||||
26th | Unknown [b] | Hunter 1839–1841 | |||||
27th | Unknown [b] | White 1841–1843 | |||||
28th | John Winston Jones (1791–1848) | Virginia 6 | December 4, 1843 | March 4, 1845 | Himself1843–1845 | ||
29th | John Wesley Davis (1799–1859) | Indiana 6 | December 1, 1845 | March 4, 1847 | Himself1845–1847 | ||
30th | Unknown [b] | Winthrop 1847–1849 | |||||
31st | Howell Cobb (1815–1868) | Georgia 6 | December 22, 1849 | March 4, 1851 | Himself1849–1851 | ||
32nd | Linn Boyd (1800–1859) | Kentucky 1 | December 1, 1851 | March 4, 1855 | Himself1851–1855 | ||
33rd | |||||||
34th | George Washington Jones (1806–1884) | Tennessee 6 | March 4, 1855 | March 4, 1857 | Banks 1856–1857 | ||
35th | James Lawrence Orr (1822–1873) | South Carolina 5 | December 7, 1857 | March 3, 1859 | Himself1857–1859 | ||
36th | George S. Houston (1811–1879) | Alabama 5 | March 4, 1859 | January 21, 1861 [c] | Pennington 1860–1861 | ||
37th | Unknown [d] | Grow 1861–1863 | |||||
38th | Unknown [d] | Colfax 1863–1869 | |||||
39th | Unknown [d] | ||||||
40th | Unknown [d] | ||||||
40th | Pomeroy 1869 | ||||||
41st | Samuel J. Randall (1828–1890) | Pennsylvania 1 | March 4, 1869 | March 3, 1871 | Blaine 1869–1875 | ||
William E. Niblack (1822–1893) | Indiana 1 | ||||||
42nd | Unknown [b] | ||||||
43rd | William E. Niblack (1822–1893) | Indiana 1 | March 4, 1873 | March 3, 1875 | |||
44th | Michael C. Kerr (1827–1876) | Indiana 3 | December 6, 1875 | August 19, 1876 [e] | Himself1875–1876 | ||
44th | Samuel J. Randall (1828–1890) | Pennsylvania 3 | December 4, 1876 | March 3, 1881 | Himself1876–1881 | ||
45th | |||||||
46th | |||||||
47th | Unknown [b] | Keifer 1881–1883 | |||||
48th | John G. Carlisle (1834–1910) | Kentucky 6 | December 3, 1883 | March 3, 1889 | Himself1883–1889 | ||
49th | |||||||
50th | |||||||
51st | William S. Holman (1822–1897) | Indiana 4 | March 4, 1889 | March 3, 1891 | Reed 1889–1891 | ||
52nd | Charles Frederick Crisp (1845–1896) | Georgia 3 | December 8, 1891 | March 3, 1895 | Himself1891–1895 | ||
53rd | |||||||
54th | David B. Culberson (1830–1900) | Texas 4 | March 4, 1895 | March 3, 1897 | Reed 1895–1899 | ||
55th | James D. Richardson (1843–1914) | Tennessee 5 | March 4, 1897 | March 3, 1903 | |||
56th | Henderson 1899–1903 | ||||||
57th | |||||||
58th | John Sharp Williams (1854–1932) | Mississippi 8 | March 4, 1903 | March 3, 1909 | Cannon 1903–1911 | ||
59th | |||||||
60th | |||||||
61st | Champ Clark (1850–1921) | Missouri 9 | March 4, 1909 | March 2, 1921 [e] | |||
62nd | Himself1911–1919 | ||||||
63rd | |||||||
64th | |||||||
65th | |||||||
66th | Gillett 1919–1925 | ||||||
67th | Claude Kitchin (1869–1923) | North Carolina 2 | March 4, 1921 | March 4, 1923 | |||
68th | Finis J. Garrett (1875–1956) | Tennessee 9 | March 4, 1923 | March 3, 1929 | |||
69th | Longworth 1925–1931 | ||||||
70th | |||||||
71st | John Nance Garner (1868–1967) | Texas 15 | March 4, 1929 | March 3, 1933 [f] | |||
72nd | Himself1931–1933 | ||||||
73rd | Henry Thomas Rainey (1860–1934) | Illinois 20 | March 9, 1933 | August 19, 1934 [e] | Himself1933–1934 | ||
74th | Jo Byrns (1869–1936) | Tennessee 5 | January 3, 1935 | June 4, 1936 [e] | Himself1935–1936 | ||
74th | William B. Bankhead (1874–1940) | Alabama 7 | June 4, 1936 | September 15, 1940 [e] | Himself1936–1940 | ||
75th | |||||||
76th | |||||||
76th | Sam Rayburn (1882–1961) | Texas 4 | September 16, 1940 | November 16, 1961 [e] | Himself1940–1947 | ||
77th | |||||||
78th | |||||||
79th | |||||||
80th | Martin 1947–1949 | ||||||
81st | Himself1949–1953 | ||||||
82nd | |||||||
83rd | Martin 1953–1955 | ||||||
84th | Himself1955–1961 | ||||||
85th | |||||||
86th | |||||||
87th | |||||||
87th | John W. McCormack (1891–1980) | Massachusetts 12 | January 10, 1962 | January 3, 1971 | Himself1962–1971 | ||
88th | Massachusetts 9 | ||||||
89th | |||||||
90th | |||||||
91st | |||||||
92nd | Carl Albert (1908–2000) | Oklahoma 3 | January 21, 1971 | January 3, 1977 | Himself1971–1977 | ||
93rd | |||||||
94th | |||||||
95th | Tip O'Neill (1912–1994) | Massachusetts 8 | January 4, 1977 | January 3, 1987 | Himself1977–1987 | ||
96th | |||||||
97th | |||||||
98th | |||||||
99th | |||||||
100th | Jim Wright (1922–2015) | Texas 12 | January 6, 1987 | June 6, 1989 [a] | Himself1987–1989 | ||
101st | |||||||
101st | Tom Foley (1929–2013) | Washington 5 | June 6, 1989 | January 3, 1995 | Himself1989–1995 | ||
102nd | |||||||
103rd | |||||||
104th | Dick Gephardt (born 1941) | Missouri 3 | January 3, 1995 | January 3, 2003 | Gingrich 1995–1999 | ||
105th | |||||||
106th | Hastert 1999–2007 | ||||||
107th | |||||||
108th | Nancy Pelosi (born 1940) | California 8 | January 3, 2003 | January 3, 2023 | |||
109th | |||||||
110th | Herself2007–2011 | ||||||
111th | |||||||
112th | Boehner 2011–2015 | ||||||
113th | California 12 | ||||||
114th | |||||||
Ryan 2015–2019 | |||||||
115th | |||||||
116th | Herself2019–2023 | ||||||
117th | |||||||
118th | Hakeem Jeffries (born 1970) | New York 8 | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | McCarthy 2023 | ||
McHenry [g] 2023 | |||||||
Johnson 2023–present |
Chairs are currently limited to two consecutive terms.
The vice-chair of the Democratic Caucus ranks just below the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. In addition to other duties, the vice-chair has a seat on the Steering and Policy Committee. [17]
The office of secretary of the Democratic Caucus preceded the office of vice-chair. Until its elimination in 1987, the office of secretary was reserved for a female member of the House. [20]
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Rule 1. Caucus Membership A. All Members of the House of Representatives, the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, and the Delegates from American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands who are Members of the Democratic Party shall be prima facie Members of the Democratic Caucus of the House of Representatives.
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