Rep. Ben Ray Luján’s (D-NM) decision to run for Senate leaves Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) an easier way to jockey for position when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) chooses to step down.
According to a Wednesday Politico report, Luján, Jeffries and Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) are expected to eventually replace Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) as the next generation of House leadership.
That being said, Pelosi is the only one of the House Holy Trinity who committed to stepping down after a four-year term: Hoyer and Clyburn made no such promises, and may prove formidable obstacles to Jeffries’ rise, should one of them develop a yen for the gavel.