Pelosi girds for battle to regain speakership
WASHINGTON — House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi brushed off news of a potential challenger Thursday in her attempt to reclaim the speaker’s gavel, even as her opponents grew more resolute in their attempts to block her path.
The San Francisco Democrat was projecting calm as an Ohio congresswoman emerged as her first potential serious opponent.
Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge, whose district stretches from Cleveland south to Akron, told the Washington Post that close to 30 Democratic lawmakers have privately signaled to her that they would be willing to oppose Pelosi’s bid. She said she would make a decision on whether to run by “close to” Friday or over the Thanksgiving break.
“I’m thinking about it,” Fudge told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Pelosi was unfazed by the possible challenge.
“I’ll say it to everybody: ‘Come on in, the water’s warm,’ ” Pelosi said at a news conference. “I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, and certainly we have many, many, many people in our caucus who could serve in this capacity. I happen to think I’m the best person.”
Even if she enters the race, Fudge is unlikely to disrupt Pelosi’s trajectory immediately. The Democratic leader has been racking up endorsements of prominent colleagues and outside groups. Still, the emergence of a potential challenger gives a boost to a handful of lawmakers who have insisted that a change in party leadership is needed.
Pelosi’s first hurdle comes Nov. 28, when the incoming Democratic caucus will vote on its leadership. The full House then votes on a speaker when the new Congress convenes in January. The position requires a majority vote on the House floor, which would be 218 if every member votes.
Democrats are expected to hold from 231 to 235 seats in the new House. Republicans are unlikely to vote for a Democrat for speaker, and Pelosi flatly dismissed being elected with any GOP votes, so she can afford no more than 15 or so defections in her caucus when the full House votes. Her naysayers have insisted they have at least 17.
“There’s a big talking point out there: ‘You can’t beat somebody with nobody,’ ” said Pelosi opponent Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y. “The first thing is we have to show that the leader cannot get 218, which she won’t be able to, and I think you’re going to see people emerge. I’m glad to see Marcia (Fudge) is thinking about it, and I think once we show that the leader can’t get to 218, I think you’re going to see other people throw their hat in the ring, too.”
Asked at her news conference if she would have the votes to be elected speaker today, Pelosi answered, “Yes.”
Until Thursday, Pelosi’s allies had pointed to the lack of a viable alternative candidate as one reason she was likely to regain the speakership that she lost in the Republicans’ Tea Party wave of 2010. If Fudge decides to run, that argument would be harder to make.
Fudge, a five-term congresswoman, is a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and one-time mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and is especially focused on education and food access.
But she also has downsides in the caucus. One senior Democratic aide pointed out unsolicited that Fudge is one of two Democrats who have not signed on as a co-sponsor of the proposed Equality Act, which would extend Civil Rights Act protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Fudge’s name was floated as a candidate by leaders of an effort to block Pelosi from the speakership, including fellow Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan. Their goal, in part, was to counter criticism they were trying to topple the woman who oversaw a House takeover made possible by a record number of winning female candidates and a huge gender gap in Democrats’ favor.
“We’re just saying that we want people to start thinking about what we’re going to do next,” Ryan told The Chronicle. “And there’s plenty of capable women that we could put into the top spot in order to, if there’s concerns about taking out a woman.”
Another name being floated by Ryan was Los Angeles Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who took to Twitter on Thursday to reiterate her support for Pelosi.
“I announced my support for Leader Pelosi two months ago, so because my name was circulating, I just didn’t want confusion,” Bass told The Chronicle.
Pelosi’s detractors don’t all agree on their complaints. Some who won in swing districts say she is too far to the left and would be a drag on the party as it tries to regain the White House in 2020, while some progressive new members believe she isn’t leading the charge enough.
At her news conference, Pelosi said she is “proudly” a “San Francisco liberal” and dismissed the argument that she is a political liability for the party.
Noting that she was featured in numerous Republican attack ads in the midterm elections, Pelosi said, “Obviously, those ads didn’t work. We had the biggest victory since 1974.”
Longtime Pelosi friend and ally Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, noted that many of Pelosi’s public detractors are men — and predicted their efforts to unseat the first female speaker of the House would backfire.
“These male members were elected and got back here because of what women did,” Eshoo said. “Women across the country (are) saying, ‘Look at this list of guys who we put in office — we need to let them know that we’re going to primary them.’ So they’re playing with fire relative to themselves. It’s irrational.”
In response to a question about sexism at her news conference, Pelosi acknowledged that most of her Democratic opponents are men.
“You’d have to ask those people what their motivation is,” she said. “If in fact there is any misogyny involved in it, it’s their problem, not mine.”
Her supporters also note that there is plenty of time before the January floor vote for Pelosi to consolidate support.
“She’s one of the best legislative craftspeople, tacticians I’ve seen,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who is in line to chair the powerful Judiciary Committee in the next House. “She can use those same skills on this political situation . ... She’s very good at what she does, she’s the best we have, and it’s essential we elect her.”