WASHINGTON, November 5. /TASS/. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has officially announced his candidacy for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

"I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives," he wrote in a letter to colleagues Wednesday.

The lower house of the new Congress will convene on January 3, 2027. Based on the results of the U.S. midterm elections, both the House and the Senate will be controlled by the Democrats.

"The days of the House functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump Administration are over. Congress will assume its place as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch," Jeffries pledged.

According to the US media, Jeffries is on a clear path to become the first-ever black Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The United States held its midterm elections on Tuesday. Voters elected primarily one-third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives, as well as governors in 36 states and territories. Local elections were also held. Both chambers of Congress are currently controlled by the ruling Republican Party. The next Congress, the 120th, which will be formed following the elections, will begin its work on January 3, 2027. Democrats will hold majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the new Congress.