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The fight over who will lead House Democrats next year got its first public entrance Tuesday as Rep. Linda T. Sanchez made her official bid to lead the House Democratic Caucus.

Sanchez, of Whittier, currently vice chairwoman of the Democratic Caucus, sent a letter to her colleagues Tuesday confirming her interest in moving up the leadership ranks.

“If the American people instill their trust in House Democrats, we must show them that we are ready to lead on the first day,” Sanchez wrote. “A new Congress gives us the opportunity to take a full assessment of what changes we need to make to ensure our success going forward. However, it is clear that if we wait until next year to have these discussions, it will be too late. We must prepare now.”

The surprise loss by New York Rep. Joseph Crowley, in a primary last month opened the position of caucus chair, the fourth-ranking position in the Democratic leadership. Crowley, a 10-term incumbent once seen as a likely replacement for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, lost to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old Latina activist running her first campaign.

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