CNN: Hakeem Jeffries poised to succeed Nancy Pelosi

House Democrats appear likely to choose New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a potentially historic move to elect the first Black person to lead a party in Congress.

After Pelosi announced on November 17 that she'd relinquish the leadership role she held for 20 years, the speaker wouldn’t say who she’d support to replace her in the November 30 vote, CNN reports.

But in a sign of Jeffries’ emerging power, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn quickly endorsed him after announcing they would also step down from their leadership posts.

Before Pelosi’s announcement, Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, the Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman, told CNN that she expected the caucus to throw their support behind Jeffries.

“If she steps aside, I’m very clear that Hakeem Jeffries is the person that I will be voting for and leading the Congressional Black Caucus to vote for,” Beatty said. “I don’t always speak for everybody, but I’m very comfortable saying I believe that every member of the Congressional Black Caucus would vote for Hakeem Jeffries.”

Retiring North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a former CBC chairman, told CNN that Jeffries “is prepared for the moment” if Pelosi stepped aside. Butterfield said he thought Jeffries would run.

And Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan, a former Congressional Progressive Caucus chair, also threw his weight behind Jeffries. “Hakeem Jeffries came in my class and I’m a huge fan of Hakeem,” Pocan told CNN. “I think he’s extremely intelligent, he’s a good person to bring consensus among the caucus. I think he’ll be an outstanding Leader.”