Hakeem Jeffries declares bid for House speaker after GOP's midterm massacre

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is officially running to be Speaker of the House in the next Congress.

It comes after Democrats made historic gains in Tuesday night's midterm elections, taking back both the House and Senate for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term.

Jeffries sent a letter to fellow House Democrats on Wednesday afternoon congratulating them on their victories and adding, "I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives."

Jeffries told reporters that he intended to run for the top job in the House during a press conference with his top deputies on Wednesday, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.

Clark and Aguilar also signaled they would run for the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the House.

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