Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-South Carolina), a civil rights activist whose endorsement was key to Joe Biden securing the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, plans to announce Thursday that he will seek reelection this year.
Clyburn, 85, who spent much of the latter part of his congressional career in the No. 3 House Democratic leadership position, was set to formally make the announcement in his home state at the South Carolina Democratic Party headquarters in Columbia. His decision was confirmed by a person familiar with Clyburn’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.
The decision by Clyburn, who has served more than 30 years in the House, follows retirement announcements from Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Steny H. Hoyer (D-Maryland), the other two-thirds of a leadership trio that guided House Democrats from 2007 to 2023.
Clyburn stepped down as Democratic whip in 2023, taking on the role of assistant Democratic leader to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) before relinquishing that position in 2024.
The announcement from Clyburn, who turns 86 in July, comes as younger Democrats are challenging the old guard in primaries throughout the country.
The party’s reckoning over age builds upon 2024, when Biden, then 81, stepped aside to support his much younger vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee. Two years later, older Democrats have become the focus of campaigns centered around generational change.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), 76, a two-decade incumbent, faces a serious primary challenge in state Rep. Justin Pearson, 31. Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas), 37, has made the need to pass the torch a part of his message against Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who at 78 has spent more than two decades in Congress. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts), 47, launched his campaign against Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts), 79, by centering the need for generational change.
Clyburn said in an interview with The Washington Post this month that he was undecided about whether he would run for an 18th term but was “leaning” toward doing so. He said the decision would be based on calls from his constituents and input from his family, who he said was “split” on the idea and “had not coalesced around yea or nay yet.”
In 1992, Clyburn became the first Black congressman elected from South Carolina since Reconstruction. Since then, he has served as freshman-class president, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, House Democratic chair and whip.
In 2020, Clyburn breathed life into Biden’s then-flagging 2020 presidential campaign when he endorsed the former vice president days before the South Carolina primary. Biden’s victory in the state helped propel him to the Democratic nomination after poor showings in other early nominating states.
Clyburn’s long-standing political adviser, Antjuan Seawright, insisted there’s still a need for Clyburn in Congress “to help shape the direction and future of our country.”
Seawright added that the party and caucus need “a little hip-hop and R & B, Old Testament and the New Testament.”
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