Meet the new majority whip, Jim Clyburn (D, SC-6)

Since I haven't seen much said about him:

https://clyburn.house.gov/about-me/full-biography



Clyburn was born in Sumter, SC, in 1940, the son of a preacher and a beautician. He graduated from Boylen-Haven-Mather Academy (a prestigious historically black boarding school in Camden, SC) and attended South Carolina State College (SC's most prominent HBCU) where he studied history and was initiated into Omega Psi Phi ("Manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift" ).

He taught high school for a few years in Charleston, SC, and then ran unsuccessfully for the state general assembly. His campaign attracted the attention of Governor John C. West, who appointed him as minority rights advisor in the wake of the horrific Orangeburg Massacre (google it if you don't know it).

Following a radical un-gerrymandering of the Congressional districts in 1992, he ran for and won the election to the state's 6th Congressional district. In the 26 years since, he has worked his way steadily up the party leadership circuit. He became vice-chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 2003, and chairman in 2006. In 2011 he challenged Steny Hoyer for the minority whip position; while he lost, his challenge was significant enough to create the new "Assistant Minority Leader" position for him. He ran unchallenged for majority whip in 2019 and was elected unanimously.

Clyburn is a solid liberal, ranked by observers as the 77th most liberal member of the House. He has introduced a bill to quadruple the number of Federally-qualified health clinics in the country (side note: I think this is the method we're going to eventually "solve" healthcare with). He opposes all new offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. He has been a strong and persistent voice for increased special needs education funding at the Federal level.

(EDIT: I've simplified the history; he was also whip in 2009-2011 so his challenge to Hoyer in 2011 was to keep his job. Anyways; the main arc of the story is what's important.)