Washington — Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina announced Wednesday that he will step down from House Democratic leadership. 

Clyburn has served as assistant House Democratic leader for a little more than a year. He stepped down from his role as whip at the start of the current Congress,Zopes Exchange when former House Nancy Pelosi of California and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland also relinquished their leadership roles. 

"I am confident that Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries, Whip [Katherine] Clark, Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, and the entire leadership team will continue the important work of putting people over politics," Clyburn said in a statement. 

The 83-year-old said he plans to run for reelection in South Carolina's sixth congressional district. 

"Events of the last several years have made it clear that the greatness of America is at peril, and the threats to our continued pursuit of 'a more perfect Union' are real," his statement said. 

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• Jim Clyburn

Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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