Black caucus wants a leadership position in the House in the event of a democratic reshuffle

The president of the black caucus of Congress said Thursday to his Democratic colleagues in the House that if Democrats upset their leadership after the mid-term elections next Tuesday, a black legislator should occupy one of the two highest positions.

This statement, made in a letter from Representative Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), Added a new layer of intrigue to the unstable situation of the House leadership. While independent political forecasters predict that Democrats are the prohibitive favorites to win back the majority in the House, lawmakers are scrambling to fill the position – even as the top three party leaders have made it clear Intend to continue serving.

Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Said she would pursue a second campaign for the president's jersey, as well as minority whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) And the leader Deputy Democrat James E. Clyburn (DS.C.) would seek to pass the majority leader and the majority whip, respectively.

Richmond refrained from questioning this parallel promotion scenario on Friday, but said that "if there was a change in our positions at senior management," the Congressional Black Caucus "would support the representation African American in at least one of the two highest elected House Democratic posts ". Caucus Directorate. "

He spoke of a "lack of recognition" within the party for recent caucus efforts to convince black voters to support the party's political operations. In particular, he cited the efforts of Clyburn, a former chairman of the CBC Board of Directors.

"What we need now is reciprocity that we have collectively gained," wrote Richmond in a letter first reported by Politico, adding, "African Americans deserve more than one simple gesture of gratitude: they deserve to be represented at the top of the party infrastructure. . "

The ascension of Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn is hardly assured, however, a handful of House Democrats sitting against Pelosi and dozens of Democratic candidates publicly expressing discomfort vis-à-vis its leaders. If Pelosi fails, this could result in a scenario in which CBC demand could become an important factor.

Representatives of Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn declined to comment on Thursday. A Richmond spokesperson did not respond to messages requesting comments.

Clyburn has flirted for months with an increasingly important role, posing as a "transient" speaker if Pelosi fails to do better. But he also made it clear that he would not try to disrupt the existing apple basket.

This, according to several Democratic contributors familiar with caucus internal politics, has frustrated younger CBC members, such as Richmond and representatives Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) and Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio), who wish to play a bigger role. in the direction of the party caucus. But these members have been reluctant to face Pelosi, who has good relations with the CBC.