James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.)

House Assistant Minority Leader, 112th Congress (since January 2011)

(Sarah L. Voisin/TWP)

Why He Matters

A veteran pol and civil-rights activist, Clyburn didn't come to Washington until he was 52-years-old. But in his multiple House terms, he rose to become the third-ranking Democrat in that chamber and the second black congressman (after ex-Rep. Bill Gray (D-Pa.) to hold the office of majority whip. He will fill the role of assistant majority leader, which was created especially for him, in the 112th Congress.

Representing the 6th district in South Carolina, Clyburn is often considered the most influential politician in his state, and his endorsement in the Palmetto State's early presidential primary can carry a lot of weight. He has brought copious money home to his constituents and has never had a problem winning reelection.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: House Majority Whip (2007-2011); Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus (2006 to 2007); Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus (2003 to 2006); Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (1999 to 2001)
Birthday: July 21, 1940
Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
Alma Mater: South Carolina State College, B.A., 1962
Spouse: Emily

Religion: African Methodist Episcopal
DC Office: 2135 Rayburn House Office Building, 202-225-3315
District Office: Columbia, 803-799-1100; Florence, 843-622-1212; Santee, 803-854-4700
Email
Web site

Path to Power

When Clyburn became House majority whip in January 2007, he told a story about wanting to be a politician when he was 12 years old.

His father was a minister and his mother was a beautician. He went to his mother's beauty parlor after school and a client asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. He said he wanted to be a politician, and the woman responded by telling him never to utter those words again because she was afraid that, in the segregated South, such thoughts might bring danger to him and his family.

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Civil-Rights Leader

Along with fellow House leader John Lewis (D-Ga.), he was a leading member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was affiliated with Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Leadership Conference.

He organized the state's first sit-ins in 1960, and met his wife while in jail. Clyburn was jailed again in 1961 during a march on the South Carolina State Capitol. Then, he worked as a history teacher before running for a state House seat in 1970. He lost by 500 votes. But Gov. John Carl West (D-S.C.) took notice of Clyburn's campaign and asked him to join the administration, making him the first African-American advisor to a South Carolina governor since Reconstruction. After four years, he was appointed Human Affairs Commissioner, a position he held for 18 years.

1992 House Race

During that time, he twice ran losing campaigns for secretary of state (in 1978 and 1986). When the House districts were redrawn following the 1990 census, the state's 6th district became a majority-black district, and then-incumbent Rep. Robin Tallon (D-S.C.), who was white, decided not to run. Clyburn resigned as Human Affairs Commissioner to launch a bid for the new seat and won the five-way primary with 56 percent of the vote. He triumphed easily in the general election, making him the first black House member from South Carolina since 1897.

"You always look at black members of Congress from the civil rights aspect," Clyburn told the National Journal in September 2006. "You never give us credit for developing legislative experience and congressional know-how and government background. I came here after running government agencies for 25 years. I didn't come here after marching in the street."

House Leader

Once in the House, however, Clyburn showed off his organizing skills and was elected co-president of his freshman class in 1993. In 1999, he was unanimously chosen to chair the Congressional Black Caucus. After the 2002 election, he won a three-way competition over Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) to become vice-chairman of the Democratic Caucus. That put him in good position to become caucus chairman when Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was appointed to the Senate in January 2006.

But instead, when Democrats won control of the House in 2006, Clyburn was unanimously elected the second-ever African American majority whip, the highest leadership post an African- American lawmaker has ever held.

Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) considered running against Clyburn for that position, but decided that the South Carolinian's support was too strong. Emanuel instead ran for Democratic Caucus chairman. Similarly, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) declined to challenge Clyburn for the job.

The Issues

As the majority whip, Clyburn was responsible for ensuring that Democrats had the votes to pass Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) "100 hours" agenda when they took control of the House in January 2007, which included a minimum wage hike, implementing the 9/11 commission recommendations, public disclosure of earmarks and major ethics legislation that banned meals and gifts from lobbyists and restricted travel. He is considered a very effective whip. "Each leader brings his own approach," said Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.). "Jim is a consensus builder."

But perhaps his biggest accomplishment was whipping successfully for President Obama's health-care reform package in the final House vote on March 21, 2010. The vote was a cliffhanger until the last minute when a block of anti-abortion Democrats got behind Pelosi and Obama to support the measure, 219 to 212.

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In 2005, Pelosi tapped Clyburn to head the Faith Working Group that encouraged Democratic lawmakers to embrace faith and not cede religious morality to Republicans. "If you are silent on these issues, you will get defined by the other person," said Clyburn, the son of a minister, "and I think that's what's happened to us."

Clyburn voted with the Democratic Party 97.7 percent of the time during the 110th Congress, but on occasion has split with his party. He has cast his vote with Republicans to balance the budget and for a constitutional amendment to ban flag-burning. Still, most of Clyburn's attention has been focused on helping his district in South Carolina and African Americans around the country. He was a cosponsor of a bill, supported by 42 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to apologize to black Americans for the "fundamental injustice" of slavery.

"When you have African Americans in the chairman's seat, you can't help but craft legislation that reflects their background and experiences," Clyburn said. "That diversity of perspective helps create legislation that better reflects our country."

South Carolina Projects

As a member of the Appropriations Committee from 1998 to 2006, Clyburn focused on bringing home projects for his constituents. He faced criticism when it was reported that up to $6.2 million had gone to organizations associated with Clyburn's family members. One of the earmarks went to his daughter's organization, but it was three years before she began working there. Clyburn brushed off the accusations, saying that the reports paint an inaccurate picture of his earmarks.

Clyburn has always defended himself as a champion of his own district in a representative democracy. He has sought local development along the I-95 corridor, and has been a strong advocate of federal money for historically black colleges, including his alma mater: South Carolina State. As someone who grew up in the poor South, Clyburn has said his primary goal is to help bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Clyburn also used his national clout to persuade the state Democratic party to allow South Carolina to hold its primary before Super Tuesday. He also lured three Democratic debates to his home state.

The Economy

Clyburn was tasked with rallying votes for the Wall Street bailout that failed on Sept. 29, 2008, but he blamed House Republicans for not matching his Democratic votes.

He was a strong supporter of the bailout, saying, people "don't seem to relate this to their student loans, they don't relate this to their supermarkets and whether or not they'll be able to stock the shelves ... because of [a] lack of credit."

The Network

Clyburn's whip team includes longtime ally John Lewis (D-Ga.), as well as Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

His daughter, Mignon, is an Obama FCC commissioner.

Additional Resources