Even as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer step down next year from Democratic House leadership positions, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn told CBS's "Face The Nation" that he intends to remain in a party leadership position in the next Congress to make sure that southern representation remains in the party's higher ranks.
Clyburn is the Majority Whip and the third ranking Democrat in the House.
When Clyburn, 82, was asked why he is the only one of the party leadership not giving way to the next generation, Clyburn said, "There is no other southerner among the leadership, and we need the South."
He added: "I've always said there is a healthy respect – it's biblical with me – we need to have a healthy blend of strength and knowledge. And look at leadership: the South is left out of it. And what I'm doing is trying to make sure that we do not tilt too far to the East or too far to the West, but maintain what we have here."
Clyburn reiterated to The Post and Courier that, "I don't want to see the South written off," saying that in his new position he envisions acting as an ambassador who can make sure the party does not forget the South and keeps the region's unique needs a high priority when making policy decisions and setting legislative priorities.
New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to lead Democrats as House minority leader in the next Congress, with Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark as minority whip and California Rep. Pete Aguilar as caucus chair, according to the Washington Examiner. All three are new to the top jobs in the party.
Clyburn, who has served in House Democratic leadership since 2003, wrote in a letter to fellow lawmakers that his almost two decades of leadership experience would be an advantage to Jeffries, Clark, and Aguilar.
"As we Democrats set about the work of retaking the majority in 2024 and re-electing our president, I humbly ask for your support to remain at the leadership table as the assistant Democratic leader, to work alongside our new generation of Democratic leaders which I hope to be Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar," Clyburn wrote.
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