House Democrats embraced three favorite words during their annual retreat: Speaker Hakeem Jeffries.

As the new Congress enters its third month, Democrats are full of bluster about their chances of recapturing the majority next year and handing Jeffries the gavel. Some lawmakers made possibly intentional verbal flubs, referring to their “majority” leaders, as they talked about efforts to unite behind a winning 2024 message.

“Hakeem Jeffries is an incredible leader. He’s an historic leader. He is the first person of color to lead a party in Congress,” Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said in an interview, also hailing Democrats’ diversity. “It is our goal to make Hakeem Jeffries speaker.”

This year’s Baltimore gathering marked a fresh test not just for Jeffries, but for the entire new troika of leaders, including Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.). While lawmakers wouldn’t draw direct comparisons to their former head trio, they were endlessly optimistic that the new generation of leaders would usher in a younger, more diverse and unified caucus — the last aspect essential if they want any hope of winning the House majority next year.

[Dream on. It’s a free country. ~ Beege]