The president of the Black Caucus wishes to have one of theirs as president or leader of the majority

Elections

The head of CBC / Radio-Canada threatens to fight for leadership in the House if the Democrats win it in the House.

In a move that could trigger a nasty internal fight, the leader of the party The Congressional Black Caucus – a key voting block among House Democrats – asks an African-American legislator to occupy one of the top two leadership positions if Democrats win the House on polling day.

The request by Cedric Richmond (D-La.), CBC President, is perceived as a potential threat to the minority leader in California's Nancy Pelosi House and Maryland's minority whip Steny Hoyer, who has been nominated for return to the position of President and the majority of the House. leader, respectively, if Democrats get the majority on November 6th.

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Hoyer, in particular, could be the one who will face a potential challenger if the CBC supports the Richmond threat, according to the Democratic initiates.

However, Representative Jim Clyburn (SC), the highest black Democratic party, said he had no intention of challenging Pelosi and Hoyer when they ran for president and leader positions from the majority they were looking for the two best positions in a Democratic majority.

All internal problems occur as the Pelosi Democrats believe that they will win back the House of Representatives next week and attempt to claim their respective leadership positions.

"In recent weeks, many of our colleagues have respectfully shared letters of intent expressing their interest in various leadership positions in the House Democratic Caucus," Richmond said in a letter to the "Dear Colleague" on Thursday. "It is in this context that I would like to remind you that, if there is a change in our leadership positions, CBC Democrats support African-American representation in at least one of the two caucus leadership positions. democratic elected to the House. . "

This means, according to Democratic sources, that the CBC would like one of them to be president or majority leader.

The offices of Pelosi and Hoyer declined to comment.

In an interview, however, Clyburn said he would run for the majority whip if Pelosi and Hoyer remained in the top two of the Democratic party.

"I do not expect a change in number one and number two places," said Clyburn, referring to Pelosi and Hoyer. "I will pursue third place that I had before." Clyburn was whip at the House majority from 2006 to 2010.

Clyburn also said that he "would work to be part of the transition we are putting in place" for a new Democratic leadership after the resignation of the current party hierarchy. Clyburn and Pelosi are 78, while Hoyer is 79 and some younger Democrats want to see a new management team set up.

Clyburn challenged Hoyer for the No. 2 post after Democrats lost the majority in the House in 2010, but subsequently surrendered. Clyburn should run for the majority if Democrats win the House on Tuesday.

Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Another CBC member, is running for the Democratic caucus chair in the House. His opponent is Representative Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Member of the Congress Hispanic Caucus. Democratic initiates give Lee an edge in this race.

In recent months, a generation battle has broken out within the CBC.

For years, Clyburn, elected for the first time in Congress in 1992 after years in government, was the highest African-American legislator. Clyburn and other key black lawmakers such as representatives. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), John Lewis (D-Ga.) And the former representative. John Conyers (D-Mich.) Were the main force inside the CBC.

But in recent years, with the election of Richmond and representatives. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) And Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), younger members have called for a greater role in the caucus, according to lawmakers and Democratic aides.

A Democratic Council Member of the House of Representatives close to the CBC suggested Pelosi reach an agreement with the group to save his presidency if he did not have the votes to recover the lost mallet during the 2010 GOP wave This assistant said that if Pelosi supported a CBC member on Hoyer, the alliance "could help alleviate criticism that the next generation of leaders is ignored."

"It's incredibly unpopular to be an 80-year-old white man right now in politics," said the assistant, referring to Hoyer.