Perlmutter brokers deal for Pelosi to be speaker
It’s all but certain now that Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will become speaker of the House in January, and Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Arvada, helped broker the deal to make that happen.
The deal gives Pelosi at least one and possibly two more terms — or four more years — as speaker. It also sets term limits on the other three top Democratic positions: majority leader, whip and assistant Democratic leader.
“I have pushed for new leadership because I want to see generational change in the Democratic Caucus,” Perlmutter said in a statement. “I am now convinced that generational change has started and will continue to accelerate.”
Putting an exit plan in place earned Pelosi the support of Perlmutter and many others in the small group of “rebel” representatives in the U.S. House who have been calling for her and other top Democrats to step aside.
But in the end, she had to make concessions about her tenure to make sure she’ll win a majority — likely 218 votes — when the new House convenes Jan. 3. Democrats are likely to have 235 seats, according to The Washington Post, meaning she could spare only 17 defections and still prevail if, as expected, Republicans all oppose her.
Perlmutter repeatedly has said he thought the group of Democratic dissidents was big enough to keep her from reaching that 218-vote threshold on Jan. 3. But he was also open to negotiating. “As we were having these conversations and negotiations, it gave me more confidence going forward with Nancy as our speaker,” Perlmutter told The Denver Post.
He now thinks Pelosi is the right person to lead House Democrats in negotiations with President Donald Trump.
The new term limits won’t be voted on until the new Congress gets sworn in next year, which means there’s a small chance the changes don’t pass.
“I am comfortable with the proposal, and it is my intention to abide by it whether it passes or not,” Pelosi said.
Rep.-elect Jason Crow, DAurora, was among the handful of incoming members who pledged not to vote for Pelosi. He didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday, but Perlmutter said he suspects Pelosi now has enough votes that Crow and others can keep their pledges because it won’t affect the outcome.