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Former Redlands mayor Pete Aguilar elected House Democratic Caucus chairman

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, is now the third highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, Nov. 30, House Democrats selected Aguilar as House Democratic Caucus chairman, alongside Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, who will be the new minority leader, and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Massachusetts, as Democratic whip.

Rep. Pete Aguilar speaks during an interview at his San Bernardino office on Jan. 3, 2022. Aguilar is a member of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. (File photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

“I’m grateful to my colleagues for the faith they’ve placed in me and for the opportunity to continue our work putting people over politics,” Aguilar said in a statement released by his office.

Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar replace Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, and Democratic Whip James Clyburn, D-South Carolina, next year.

“As we honor the legacies of Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, and prepare for a new generation of leadership, our Caucus is more united than ever,” Aguilar said. “I look forward to bringing together all the voices in our party to safeguard the progress we’ve made.”

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As caucus chairman, Aguilar will preside over caucus meetings. The caucus, composed of all Democrats in the House, meets on a weekly basis to discuss party policy, upcoming legislation and other party issues. The chairman is elected by the caucus and limited to two consecutive full terms.

Earlier this month, Pelosi announced she would step down as House Democratic leader at the end of the year.

Pelosi, who led the party for more than 20 years and is the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, will be followed by Jeffries, the first Black American to lead a major political party in Congress.

“House Democrats are committed to a legislative agenda that lowers costs, protects abortion rights, strengthens Democracy, and tackles gun violence,” Aguilar said. “While the American people want both parties in Congress to work together, we are prepared to fight back against Republican extremism and their plans to cut Social Security and Medicare, to give tax breaks to wealthy corporations that ship jobs overseas and to enact a national abortion ban.”

Pete Aguilar, newest member of Redlands City Council, photographed on April 20, 2006, in Redlands. Aguilar, at age 26 a newcomer to city politics,was appointed Tuesday to complete the term of Susan Peppler. (File photo by Greg Vojtko, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar speaks on air during the Stu, Tiffany & Jimbo show on KCAL 96.7 in Redlands on February 4, 2011. Aguilar made a bet with host Michael “Stu” Stewart about the outcome of Super Bowl XLV, in favor the Green Bay Packers. The Packers later defeated the Steelers by the score of 31–25. (File photo by Eric Tom, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

31st Congressional District candidates D-Pete Aguilar and R-Paul Chabot debate on October 20, 2014 in Memorial Chapel on the University of Redlands campus. (File photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Former mayor Pete Aguilar says his final goodbyes during a Redlands City Council meeting on December 16, 2014 at City Hall. Aguilar will be sworn in as a Congressman in Washington D.C. in January. (File photo by Micah Escamilla, Redlands Daily Facts/SCNG)

Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, the Democratic candidate for California’s 31st Congressional District, was join by Vice President Joe Biden and State Senator Alex Padilla, the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, during a Get Out The Vote rally at Colton High School on Nov. 1, 2014. (File photo by John Valenzuela, The Sun/SCNG)

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, joined members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the community February 17, 2015 to celebrate and promote new opportunities for inclusion through President Obama’s immigration actions. The event will provide educational information to California families about the immigration programs Deferred Action for Parents (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the day before applications become available through the new programs. (File photo by Rick Sforza, The Sun/SCNG)

Rep. Pete Aguilar speaks during an interview at his San Bernardino office on Jan. 3, 2022. Aguilar is a member of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. (File photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

From left to right, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., listen as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its first public hearing to reveal the findings of a year-long investigation, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, speaks during a press conference on the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act at the San Bernardino County Fire Station 79 in Fontana on Aug. 2, 2022. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, speaks at North Park Elementary School on Aug. 8, 2022, about the impact of the recently passed federal Safer Communities Act, which includes billions to make schools safer. (File photo by Beau Yarbrough, The Sun/SCNG)

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, center, walks past the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., shortly after Pelosi announced she would not seek a leadership position in the new Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters on Capitol in Washington, Dec. 13, 2021. Aguilar and Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) are widely viewed as the sole contenders for the top three slots in the new House Democratic leadership as Nancy Pelosi steps back from her longtime role. (Stefani Reynolds/The New York Times)

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Aguilar’s selection as caucus chairman is his latest win in a 16-year political career that began with his 2006 appointment to the Redlands City Council, to replace former mayor Susan Peppler, who resigned six months after she was elected to a second term.

More about Pete Aguilar

Council selects Aguilar
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, elected to leadership role in Congress
Rep. Pete Aguilar, former Redlands mayor, vows to follow facts ‘wherever they lead’ in Capitol insurrection probe
How Inland Rep. Pete Aguilar rose from Redlands City Hall to Capitol Hill
Rep. Pete Aguilar bids to become 3rd-ranking House Democratic leader

Since his election to Congress in 2014, Aguilar has acquired a reputation as a behind-the-scenes conduit to centrists and Republicans in what has publicly been a divided Congress. He was elected as vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus in November 2020.

Aguilar’s profile has further risen with his membership on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The unanimous closed-door selection of the three new House Democratic leaders Wednesday stands in contrast to the ongoing leadership struggles among House Republicans. Republicans earlier this month signaled tepid enthusiasm for the idea of GOP leader Kevin McCarthy as the new speaker when the party takes control of the House in January.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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