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

Why He Matters

A veteran pol and civil rights activist, James Clyburn didn’t come to Washington until he was 52 years old. But in his eight 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.

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 a lot of money back to his constituents and has never had a problem with re-election.

As Majority Whip, Clyburn was tasked with rounding up Democrats to support the Oct. 2008 $700 billion Wall Street bailout package. “Bailout is an inaccurate way to describe this package,” Clyburn said after House passage. “I think we have come up with an incredible piece of legislation that addresses not just Wall Street, but also Broad Street in my home town and Walker Street, where I grew up.”

Path to Power

When Clyburn became 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.James E. Clyburn official Web site 

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.Cohen, Richard E., “A Different Kind of Whip,” The National Journal, January 20, 2007 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.

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.”Cohen, Richard E., “A Different Kind of Whip,” The National Journal, January 20, 2007 

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.

When the Democrats won control of the House in 2006, Clyburn was unanimously elected the second-ever African American Majority Whip, the highest office an African American lawmaker has ever held.Biographical and career data taken from Almanac of American Politics, 2008 edition, Clyburn’s official Web site,  and Majority Whip Web site Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) considered running against him for that position, but decided that Clyburn’s support was too strong. Emanuel instead ran for Democratic Caucus Chair. “I seek this post, and not any other, because I believe what we need now is a unified Democratic Caucus, focused squarely on the business of moving this country forward,” Emanuel said.Hulse, Carl, “Democrats weigh new power as leaders,” The New York Times, Nov. 10, 2006 Similarly, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) thought about challenging Clyburn, but didn’t because the battle between Reps. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) was very heated and DeGette didn’t want another tough House battle to hurt the Democrats’ majority.Bresnahan, John and Yachnin, Jennifer, “Leader Race Heats Up,” Roll Call, Nov. 15, 2006

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, 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.”Cohen, Richard E., “A Different Kind of Whip,” The National Journal, January 20, 2007

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.Stolberg, Sheryl Gay, “Democrats getting lessons in speaking their values,” The New York Times, Feb. 11, 2005 "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.Fears, Darryl, “House issues an apology for slavery,” The Washington Post, July 30, 2008 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 co-sponsor of a bill, co-sponsored by 42 members of the CBC, to apologize to black Americans for the “fundamental injustice” of slavery.Weisman, Jonathan, “For Black caucus, an era of progress, a time for patience,” The Washington Post, Sept. 28, 2008

“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.”Weisman, Jonathan, “For Black caucus, an era of progress, a time for patience,” The Washington Post, Sept. 28, 2008 

The Network

Despite dozens of calls for him to endorse either Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) or Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Clyburn was mum on the race until it was clear Obama had secured the nomination, a promise he made to the party in order to secure an earlier date for the Palmetto State’s primary. Afterwards, he was overcome with emotion at seeing Democrats nominate its first black presidential nominee. “I thought this day would come, but I didn’t think I’d live to see it,” Clyburn said. “I got home, and I was so emotional I couldn’t feel myself. I was numb.”Hearn, Josephine, “Black lawmakers emotional about Obama’s success,” Politico, June 5, 2008

Clyburn and Rep. Lewis served together on the SNCC during the civil rights struggle and are now both part of the House Democratic leadership team. Lewis is the senior chief deputy whip.