Binghamton grad Hakeem Jeffries ’92 elected House Democratic leader

Binghamton University alumnus Hakeem Jeffries was elected House Democratic leader by acclamation Wednesday, Nov. 30 — making history as the first Black person to lead a party in Congress.

“For the past five terms, it has been my great honor to serve in the Congress working alongside colleagues from all across this country,” Jeffries said in a statement. “Today, with immense pride, I stood in front of the House Democratic Caucus as a candidate for Democratic Leader, and I am eternally grateful for the trust my colleagues placed in me with their votes.”

Jeffries studied political science at Binghamton and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University in 1992. He was first elected to Congress in 2013, after serving in the New York State Legislature. Now in his fifth term in the House of Representatives, he currently serves as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and House Budget Committee. He was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in November 2018, making him the fifth-highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives until being elected House Democratic leader. He is also the former Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus and previously co-chaired the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Jeffries rose to national prominence as one of seven House Impeachment Managers in the Senate trial of President Donald Trump. In Congress, he has focused his efforts on police and housing reform, the environment, voting rights, access to healthcare, social equity and economic justice, and he helped shape Congress’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are thrilled that Hakeem has made history as the next leader of the House Democrats,” said President Harvey Stenger. “We have watched him grow from our student, to a member of our New York legislature and now into one of the most powerful members of Congress. It has been gratifying and certainly makes us proud that he has repeatedly credited Binghamton with providing him a lasting foundation in the study of government and public service. We are eager to see where this path takes him next.”

While at Binghamton, Jeffries was active in the Black Student Union and president of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi. He credits his engagement outside of the classroom and in the Binghamton community with developing his confidence and his leadership skills.

He was last on campus in September 2021, when he called it a privilege and an honor to speak at the long-postponed Class of 2020 in-person Commencement that had been derailed in May 2020 due to the pandemic.

His message to graduates then was one of resilience, apt in light of the pandemic and a trait he has shown during his political career.

Jeffries told the members of the Class of 2020 that they had already proven they were resilient, and why resilience will help them in the future.

“When life knocks you down. Don’t give up, get up,” he said. “That’s what all of you have demonstrated already.”

He noted his surprise when he learned he was the first Binghamton University graduate to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Binghamton laid the foundation for my journey,’ he said. ‘It was where I realized it wasn’t all going to be wine and roses. I’ve learned over the years that life is filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, peaks and valleys, trials and tribulations. “But you’ve already shown yourselves to be resilient, so dismiss the doubters and keep marching toward your dream.”

Jeffries’ final observation for the graduates: “Sometimes in life you will find yourself in the midst of unexpected adversity — like what happened to all of us during the pandemic — forcing you to change everything. But you can either sink or you can swim and I’m so proud of the fact that each of you, when you found yourself dealing with unexpected adversity, you crossed the finish line. You graduated from Binghamton University, one of the world’s finest educational institutions. The best is yet to come.”

Jeffries, who also holds a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a law degree from New York University, will be sworn in as House Democratic Caucus Chair in January, when the new Congress is seated. As the Democratic Speaker nominee, he will vie for Speaker of the House against the Republican Speaker nominee, Kevin McCarthy. A candidate needs to win a majority of all members of the House to be elected Speaker. With a Republican majority in the House, Jeffries is expected to become House Minority Leader.