US lawmaker Hakeem Jeffries has formally launched a bid to succeed Nancy Pelosi as the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives.
The New York congressman, 52, has served in the fifth-highest rank of Democratic leadership since 2019.
If Mr Jeffries ascends to the top spot, held by Mrs Pelosi for two decades, he will be the first black person to lead a party in the US Congress.
But he would be minority leader, and not the speaker.
Republicans regained a slim majority in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, in last week’s midterm elections.
California Republican Kevin McCarthy, who currently serves as minority leader, has been nominated as the party’s choice to be House speaker.
In a letter on Friday, Mr Jeffries asked his Democratic colleagues for their support “as we once again prepare to meet the moment”.
All eyes were on Mrs Pelosi, 82, a day earlier, as she took to the chamber floor to announce her retirement.
“The hour has come for a new…
This article was written by and originally published on www.bbc.co.uk