Rep. Jeffries front-runners as potential Pelosi replacement

Brooklyn is poised to have a leader in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, long considered the front runner to replace House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, could have his moment as a minority leader if Democrats lose control of the chamber and Pelosi resigns, insiders told The Post.

Jeffries, 52, who lives in Prospect Heights and represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, is the fifth-ranking Democrat in Congress as the faction leader and has announced he wants to move up.

“He’s craved this role for as long as he could itch,” said a Capitol Hill insider, who noted that Jeffries has had ongoing discussions with other Dems about running for leader.

“Hakeem will confess his close connection to Nancy,” the source said. “She put him in charge, so there’s a relationship there. I know she doesn’t necessarily want to choose anyone. She wants an organic process to happen.

California MP Adam Schiff is also said to be vying for the leadership role.

Jeffries is generally well liked among peers, with the exception of the more left-leaning wing of the party.

“There are some who are concerned that he was a little too close to Andrew Cuomo and what that might mean for just visuals,” the insider said.

Jeffries said in a 2018 interview that Cuomo had “done a phenomenal job over the last eight years.” But he called for Cuomo’s resignation in August 2021 after Attorney General Letitia James released her report into the governor’s alleged sexual misconduct.

Carly Cooperman, a Democratic strategist and CEO of Schoen Cooperman Research, said Jeffries should be able to shake off the Cuomo connection.

“There’s so much else going for him that he can handle,” Cooperman said.

But another Democratic strategist said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens) and her socialist “squad” would not choose Jeffries.

“Not only has he not personally worked to reach progressives in the course of his growth to potential majority/minority leader, neither has his politics,” the strategist said.

Jeffries is serving his fifth term in Congress, first elected in 2012 after representing Brooklyn in the state assembly. He grew up in Crown Heights and graduated from Midwood High School and NYU Law School.

Democratic adviser Hank Sheinkopf said Jeffries is a centrist and “a really smart insider” with a good shot at the top job.

“He’s a serious guy. He’s a lawyer. He is educated. He’s well educated,” he said. “He is a born legislator.”

Ken Frydman, CEO of Manhattan-based strategic consulting firm Source Communications, called Jeffries “a solid choice to replace Pelosi as House Democrat leader.”

A spokesman for the congressman declined to comment on further plans.

“Rep. Jeffries is focused on making sure every single vote is counted across the country and is preparing to close people’s deals this year,” he said.