Hakeem Jeffries is the incumbent U.S. Representative for NY-8 and the House Democratic Leader. A Brooklyn native and attorney, he served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 before his election to Congress in 2012, and has led House Democrats since being elected Democratic Leader in November 2022. He is seeking re-election in 2026.[1][2][3]
Jeffries was born on August 4, 1970, in Brooklyn and raised in the Crown Heights neighborhood, and he graduated from Midwood High School in 1988.[1][3] He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY Binghamton in 1992, a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University in 1994, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1997.[1][3] He clerked for U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. in the Southern District of New York, then practiced at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison from 1998 to 2004, and also worked at Godosky & Gentile and later as in-house litigation counsel for Viacom and CBS.[1][3]
Jeffries represented the 57th District in the New York State Assembly beginning in 2007; his committee assignments included Judiciary, Codes, Correction, Housing and Banks.[1][3] A 2010 law he sponsored with then-Sen. Eric Adams barred police from compiling the names and addresses of people stopped but not arrested.[1][3] He was elected to the U.S. House in 2012 and took office in 2013, with early committee assignments on Judiciary (including its courts, intellectual property and antitrust subcommittees) and Budget.[1][3]
In November 2018, House Democrats elected Jeffries chair of the Democratic Caucus for the 116th Congress, 123-113 over Rep. Barbara Lee; his official biography also lists him as a former Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus and former co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.[1][2] In January 2020, Speaker Nancy Pelosi named him one of seven House managers for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.[1][2] His official biography describes him as lead Democratic sponsor of the FIRST STEP Act (signed December 2018), a participant in House passage of the Music Modernization Act (2018), and sponsor of the Keep America's Refuges Operational Act (2018).[2]
Jeffries was elected House Democratic Leader on November 30, 2022, running unopposed, and was re-elected to the post on November 19, 2024; as Democratic Leader he serves on no standing committees.[1][2] He was Democratic Leader during the 2025 federal government shutdown, which ran from October 1 to November 12, 2025.[1][2]
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
