Rep. Joe Neguse Announces Candidacy for Assistant Speaker

November 5, 2026 Press Release Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse announced his candidacy for the position of Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Neguse currently serves as Assistant Democratic Leader, and at Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ request, served as Chair of House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force in the 119th Congress. If elected, Neguse will become the youngest lawmaker in the history of the Congress to assume the role of Assistant Speaker, a position previously held by leading voices in the Democratic Party, including Whip Katherine Clark and Senator Ben Ray Luján . In a letter sent to his colleagues, Neguse cited efforts to ensure voices from across the House Democratic Caucus are uplifted, included, and heard. He pointed to the broad constituency of his own large congressional district in the Rocky Mountain West—spanning rural, suburban, and urban areas—as a demonstration of this ability. The millennial Congressman, 42, is the only non-coastal member of senior House Democratic leadership, and the youngest member of the team. Neguse also highlighted his team’s work to expand support for Members, specifically by assisting new Members with their transition to Congress, enhancing staff assistance programs, and assessing and addressing the needs of congressional offices across the country. He also pointed to his successful efforts as Chair of the Litigation Task Force as an example of how he would continue to use his leadership skills to assist Committee leaders and fellow Members in fighting back against the Trump administration’s rampant lawlessness. During the 119th Congress, the Litigation Task Force was responsible for taking unprecedented steps to stand up for the American people, filing dozens of legal challenges in federal courts across the country and paving the way for judges to strike down disastrous and unconstitutional directives from the Trump White House, including illegal tariffs, restrictions on voting by mail, stripping individuals born on U.S. soil of the guarantee to birthright citizenship, and unlawful impoundments of taxpayer funds. Read Neguse’s entire letter to his colleagues HERE and below. November 5, 2026 Dear Colleague: It has been an honor to serve as Assistant Democratic Leader, and to work alongside each of you during the 119th Congress. I remain deeply inspired by the talent, commitment, and tenacity our caucus has consistently shown. With our decisive and overwhelming victory this week, it is more important than ever for the House Democratic Caucus to be unified in the 120th Congress, and to repay the faith that the American people have put in us to lower costs, end corruption, and deliver for working families. To that end, and as we embark on that road together, I write to respectfully request your support for Assistant Speaker. I’m deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our caucus in House Leadership, mostly recently as Assistant Democratic Leader and previously as a Co-Chair and Chairman of the DPCC, DCCC Recruitment/Red-to-Blue Co-Chair and National Finance Co-Chair. In each position, I’ve worked to engage everyone in our caucus, firmly rooted in my belief that every member has much to offer to the House and to the country. As someone who represents a large rural, suburban, and urban district (with agricultural communities extending all the way to the Wyoming border), I’ve long worked hard to effectively serve a broad constituency — and I’ve adopted that same approach as a member of the leadership team, ensuring voices from across our caucus and the ideological spectrum are elevated, included, and heard. As Assistant Leader, my focus has been on serving our caucus — by expanding opportunities for members, enhancing staff assistance programs, and ensuring our office is addressing your technical needs. With your help, we launched the successful New-Member ADL Mentorship Program to assist new members with their transition to the Congress. We also worked to uplift each and every member of the broader caucus, including through monthly ADL press conferences and corresponding special order programming — elevating your talents and expertise for the benefit of the country. And through our office’s management of House Democrats’ District Director Services Program, our team has worked to assist your District staff with their everyday needs, including via our weekly roundtables, technical assistance programs, annual Conference & Fly-In, and the new District Director Mentoring program we launched earlier this year. Finally, at the request of Leader Jeffries, I was proud to serve as Chair of the Litigation Task Force for House Democrats, and in so doing, provide Members with opportunities to weigh-in on over twenty lawsuits against the Trump Administration's lawlessness. From our successful amicus briefs in multiple cases, our groundbreaking lawsuit against ICE, and regular programming opportunities for member engagement with legal experts, I’m deeply grateful to the many members of our caucus who made the Task Force’s work so consequential and impactful. And with your support, I would be honored to continue that work with each of you and our talented Committee leaders in the 120th Congress. If elected Assistant Speaker, my goals would be straight-forward — to prioritize direct member services for every member of our diverse and talented caucus, and to assist Speaker Jeffries and our incredible Democratic Leadership team. In addition to continuing the existing programming of the Assistant Leader’s Office, I’d relish the opportunity to launch multiple new programs, including expanding training programs for our District Directors, launching a new technical assistance program for subcommittee chairs, and enhancing the mentorship and transition programming for new members. All in all, I believe such efforts will ensure that every member and their office has the resources they need to succeed. In sum, it has been such a privilege to work alongside each of you over the past several years, and it would truly be an honor to serve our caucus, the Congress and the country as Assistant Speaker. I look forward to continuing the conversation with you about my candidacy and ideas, and thank you so much for your consideration. Sincerely, ###