Hakeem Jeffries chooses calm over chaos as Democrats work to win the House majority

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — This election, he has warned, is astir nan economy. Freedom. Stopping Project 2025 and nan MAGA extremes.

And, aft nan Jan. 6, 2021, attack connected nan Capitol, it’s astir democracy.

And yet, Hakeem Jeffries, successful statement to make history arsenic nan first Black speaker of nan House, says he is choosing to enactment calm, arsenic Democrats activity to wrest power of nan chaotic U.S. House from Republicans.

“In this unprecedented infinitesimal that we’re in, I’ve concluded that calm is an intentional decision,” Jeffries told The Associated Press during an question and reply astatine a park-side cafe successful betwixt campaign stops successful Southern California.

“We person to proceed to make nan determination to stay calm, execute nan plan, tally done nan decorativeness line,” he said. “And past put it into nan hands of nan American people.”

Ever tight, nan run for control of nan House is simply a toss-up, playing retired successful improbable corners of nan state acold from nan statesmanlike race, including successful Jeffries’ location authorities of New York and successful California. A azygous contested seat, among 435, could make nan quality if Democrats tin flip nan mostly and dislodge Republican Mike Johnson from nan speaker’s office.

Never earlier successful nan nation’s astir 250-year history has a Black American been truthful adjacent to grasping nan gavel. Jeffries, 54, is portion of a younger procreation of leaders, alongside Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, proposing a caller measurement forward, past nan era of nan erstwhile president, Republican Donald Trump.

But Jeffries, a lawyer earlier coming to Congress, doesn’t want to talk astir nan milestone of becoming House speaker, and he won’t task to foretell that Democrats will expanse nan House majority. He wants to talk astir nan choices earlier voters correct now.

“Everything we attraction astir is connected nan line. Everything we attraction astir is connected nan ballot. We tin either move this state guardant aliases move backmost nan clock,” he said connected an early Sunday greeting successful nan precocious godforsaken organization of Palmdale, nan dusty acold reaches of Los Angeles County.

“We’re not going back!” chanted nan hundreds of volunteers, fresh to spell sound connected doors to get retired nan ballot for Democrat George Whitesides successful nan title against Republican Rep. Mike Garcia.

The Brooklyn-born Jeffries took complete arsenic House Democratic leader erstwhile Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi stepped aside, making him heir evident to nan speaker’s office. He is poised to triumph soul statement balloting arsenic leader again later this year, sloppy of nan predetermination results. Yet if Democrats triumph mostly control, he would guidelines for predetermination arsenic speaker by nan full House, erstwhile nan caller Congress convenes successful January.

One of nan party’s astir effective communicators, Jeffries’ free-form speeches connected nan House level guidelines retired among modern oratory, popping pinch taste references of nan times. He is sometimes compared to erstwhile President Barack Obama.

Now, nan congressman’s skills and savvy arsenic he traverses nan state and fundraises for nan statement are being put to nan test.

He is unfastened and accessible to colleagues, methodical and moreover meditative, though sometimes slow to act, and keeps his counsel very close. He appears to person told almost nary 1 what he said to President Joe Biden erstwhile nan 2 said privately during a tumultuous July, earlier nan president announced his determination to retreat from nan title and endorse Harris.

“A rock,” said Rep. Grace Meng, a chap Democrat from New York, who has viewed Jeffries arsenic a mentor. “He takes everyone seriously.”

Logging 25,000 miles and visiting much than 30 states to flip nan House, Jeffries is proposing a “robust” Democratic agenda, which he described arsenic lowering inflationary costs, creating amended jobs and safer communities, and confronting nan affordable lodging crisis.

The House, nether Democrats, would ballot to enshrine access to reproductive care successful nan aftermath of nan Supreme Court’s Dobbs determination that ended abortion authorities successful Roe v. Wade, he said. And it would walk nan John R. Lewis voting authorities bill to grow and protect ballot access.

On nan run plaything done California, Jeffries spent Saturday day rallying voters astatine a banquet hallway successful Orange County’s Little Saigon, adjacent Disneyland, successful 1 of nan astir contested seats of nan cycle.

By Sunday, he was astatine 1 of nan older Black churches successful nan Lancaster area, successful what residents said had been a segregated portion of town. He urged nan congregation to information up family and friends and “vote for enlightened leadership, group who person your champion interests successful mind, who want to activity together.”

In galore ways, Jeffries has already been acting arsenic nan de facto House speaker, nan leader who could beryllium depended connected aft Republicans booted Kevin McCarthy from nan speaker’s agency and threw nan enclosure into chaos.

It was Jeffries who provided nan Democratic votes to guarantee Congress passed awesome legislation, including to forestall a authorities shutdown and to limb Ukraine arsenic it fights Russia, erstwhile Johnson could not power his ain GOP majority.

And it was Jeffries who saved Johnson’s occupation arsenic speaker, again providing nan Democratic votes needed to move backmost far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to oust him.

Asked astir what benignant of speaker he would be, if Democrats win, Jeffries said he has already shown it.

“Putting ‘people complete politics’ is not simply a slogan,” he said astir nan party’s message. “It’s been a governing measurement of life.”

Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, erstwhile nan highest-ranking Black leader arsenic nan House Democratic whip, said having Jeffries ascend to speaker would show nan nation’s way “toward a much cleanable union.”

“All of that are stepping stones,” he said. “And you support going until you make a breakthrough. And I deliberation we person a chance to make nan breakthrough here.”

As families played astatine a adjacent park, Claudette Reynolds, a retired postal official, spotted Jeffries stepping into nan Orange County cafe.

She rushed complete to return a selfie, and later shared their conversation.

“I told him we’re going to make him nan adjacent speaker of nan House,” she said.