Politico: Jayapal Seeking Leadership Position

India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) is stepping up calls to her colleagues about seeking a caucus-wide position next year, Politico reported on Feb.4. Her approach is a stark contrast with the other dozen or so Democrats privately eyeing leadership posts after the midterms, all of whom have avoided overt campaigning of any kind that might risk being seen as overstepping their longtime leaders, the report said.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus chief has leveraged the power of her liberal bloc in highly public ways this year, which several of her colleagues speculated could be laying the groundwork for a caucus-wide run. But some of those tactics — such as progressives’ effort to hold up a bipartisan infrastructure law in a bid to lock down a separate party-line social spending bill — have made her a target for intra-party griping.

House Democrats know that this fall could be the first time in 19 years that they elect someone other than Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead them. But Pelosi and her two lieutenants, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, have steadfastly stayed in the moment and left little room for the public jockeying that’s typical even months ahead of a leadership race.

It’s far from clear exactly which leadership slots would even be open next year Pelosi told her caucus in 2018 that she would only run for two more terms as leader, though Hoyer and Clyburn were not bound to the same limits. None have publicly stated whether they would seek reelection to their leadership positions in 2023 should they win another term in their districts, as is expected, Politico said.