Rep. Adam Schiff (D–Calif.) is vying to lead House Democrats should Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D–Calif.) retire after the 2022 midterm election, The Washington Post reported Thursday, shaking up months of covert campaigning for the party’s top role.
Schiff has significantly outraised other contenders for Democratic leadership including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D–Md.), House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D–S.C.) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D–N.Y.). His public profile rose when he led the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and later led the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Schiff raised $16.9 million as of June 30, more than the other three contenders combined. His leadership PAC, Frontline USA, has raised another $1.7 million. Jeffries, a New York representative who has reportedly been assembling support for his leadership bid for years, raised $4.4 million. A leadership PAC affiliated with Jeffires, Jobs Education & Families First, raised an additional $936,000.
Jeffries, who has chaired the House Democratic Caucus since 2019, is seen as the favorite to succeed Pelosi, Newsweek reported in June.
Hoyer and Clyburn have both held their leadership roles since 2006, and they reported raising $3 million and $2.7…
