Dems, GOP alike stand in opposition to Pelosi
TOPEKA, Kan. — Paul Davis kicked off a promising Democratic campaign to flip a GOP-leaning Kansas congressional district with a pledge to oppose Nancy Pelosi’s return as House speaker. It didn’t change the GOP’s strategy for keeping the seat: Republicans have branded him a “Pelosi liberal.”
Davis is among dozens of Democratic candidates across the U.S. who have backed away from Pelosi, including in Democratic strongholds such as California and New York. And Republicans are lobbing similar attacks against them, using the veteran California liberal’s name as code for what’s supposed to make GOP-leaning and centrist voters nervous about the left, including support for big government — and more recently, a desire to impeach President Trump.
In Kansas, a GOP super PAC tied Davis, a former state lawmaker, to Pelosi in an ad because of his propensity to vote with his own party in the Legislature when he was the state House leader.
Pelosi, the U.S. House speaker when Democrats controlled the chamber from 2007-11, has been among Republicans’ goto attacks for more than a decade, with consultants from both parties estimating that the GOP has spent tens of millions on ads linking other Democrats to her. The spotlight on her has intensified with former President Barack Obama and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton no longer front-and-center.
“It’s just kind of this tired of old playbook, I think, that they have been using for years and years,” Davis said in an interview.
Democrats need to pick up at least 23 new seats for a majority in the 435-member House. With a narrow majority, a small group of recalcitrant freshmen could leave Pelosi short of the 218 votes necessary to become speaker.
But Republican operatives and candidates argue that such Democrats can’t avoid being associated with Pelosi because she’s the most likely Democrat to become the new speaker if her party regains the majority. Pelosi recently told The Associated Press that she’s not going anywhere and has a strong national political following.
“It’s probably a motiving factor for Republican-leaning voters,” said Pat McFerron, a Republican political consultant in Oklahoma. “Here’s your risk of a Paul Davis in office: You’re not just electing Paul Davis.”