With still four months left to go in the 116th Congress, the race is already underway among Democrats on Capitol Hill for one of its most powerful positions: assistant speaker of the House.

Rep. David Cicilline officially threw his hat into the ring on Thursday, notifying his Democratic colleagues in a letter first obtained by Newsweek that he will be seeking their support for the No. 4-ranked spot in the House when the caucus votes, likely sometime following the November election.

"[T]here is no question we have to win back the White House and the Senate this November to fully deliver on the promises that we made to the American people to lower the costs of healthcare, raise family incomes, and end the culture of corruption in Washington, D.C.," the Rhode Island Democrat wrote. "In preparation for the work that lies ahead next Congress, I have decided to run for Assistant Speaker."

Cicilline, already a leadership member as head of the Democratic Caucus' messaging arm and vice chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, hopes to elevate his role by replacing Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). Luján is leaving his House post amid his run for the Senate to replace Tom Udall (D-N.M.), who is retiring.

In an interview with Newsweek, Cicilline pitched his potential assistant speaker role as one that would focus on bridging the divide between leadership and rank-and-file members, diversifying the demographics of congressional staffers and utilizing his experience as a communicator to effectively navigate the wide-ranging opinions of a diverse party.

"With a President Biden and Vice President Harris, it will be a moment of tremendous opportunity for our caucus and the country, and a moment of tremendous responsibility," Cicilline said. "There's an opportunity for us to get things done for the American people, but we have to be strategic and smart and do it in a way that we actually obtain those results and maintain the majority for the foreseeable future."

"I think I've shown that I can do that," he added.

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Original story here.