Rep. Joe Crowley (N.Y.) will not jump into the race for the vice chairmanship of the House Democratic Caucus, instead throwing his support behind Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), an aide said.

Leading moderate Democrats had been pressuring Crowley to run, fearful that with the exit of Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), their flank of the party would lose influence in leadership.

But Crowley chief of staff Kate Winkler said the New Yorker decided he’d rather support Becerra than run against him.

“Joe really respects Xavier Becerra. They’ve worked really well together, and it’s just as important to Joe as it is to the Democratic Caucus to have a diverse leadership table,” Winkler said. “He wants to support Xavier — he thinks it’s important.”