Corrected 7:55 p.m. | Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline announced a last-minute bid for assistant Democratic leader Wednesday, mounting a challenge to South Carolina Rep. James E. Clyburn for the No. 4 ranking position in Democratic leadership. 

Cicilline’s announcement came as Democrats gathered to hold leadership elections. They had already planned to defer a vote on the assistant leader position until Thursday because Clyburn is in North Charleston Wednesday to speak at the funeral of University of Virginia football player Lavel “Tyler” Davis Jr., who along with two of his teammates was shot by a fellow student after a class trip.

Clyburn is currently the No. 3 in Democratic leadership as House majority whip. The top two Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, announced earlier this month that they would not run for leadership again to make way for a new generation. 

While Clyburn decided he wanted to stay in leadership, he agreed to give up the No. 3 ranking spot. Democrats are switching the current order of assistant leader and Democratic Caucus chair so the latter will rank higher at No. 3.

Cicilline said in a letter to colleagues Wednesday that he feels a “sense of duty” to run after the mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs so that community is represented in Democratic leadership. 

In 2016 Cicilline became the first openly gay member elected to House leadership when he won one of the three Democratic Policy and Communications Committee co-chair posts. He served in that role through 2020, when he ran for assistant speaker (the name of the assistant leader position when Democrats are in the majority). 

Cicilline lost that 2020 race to Massachusetts Rep. Katherine M. Clark but told his colleagues he would run for assistant speaker or leader again when Clark eventually moved up to another position. That’s happening now with the caucus expected to elect Clark as minority whip Wednesday. 

Democrats still had LGBTQ representation in their leadership team this Congress from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney. The New York Democrat lost his reelection race, even as the party overperformed midterm election expectations. 

Cicilline said his reasons for running included Maloney’s loss and an expectation that the incoming Republican majority will push “an anti-LGBTQ plus agenda” that Democrats need to oppose.  

“In addition to making sure our leadership team represents the great mosaic of our country, I believe I bring a wealth of leadership, messaging, and legislative experience to the table,” he said in his letter to colleagues. 

Cicilline provided examples of how he would use the assistant leader role, which is less defined than other Democratic leadership positions. He said he would engage members “at every level” to harness their talents in caucus messaging and legislative strategies, provide support and guidance for new members and work with the House Office of Diversity to assist members in finding more diverse staff.

This report was corrected to reflect the position sought by Rep. Katherine M. Clark.