Pelosi’s speaker bid inches forward

WASHINGTON » Rep. Brian Higgins was one of 16 Democrats who signed a letter opposing Nancy Pelosi’s bid for House speaker. The New Yorker had also called her “aloof, frenetic, and misguided” earlier this year.

But Pelosi ignored all that.

Instead, the veteran House Democratic leader went about winning over Higgins this week, listening to the Buffalo lawmaker’s grievances and enlisting allies to convince him that he would see progress on legislation to expand Medicare.

The strategy worked: On Wednesday, Higgins pulled his name off the anti-Pelosi letter and threw his support behind the 78-year- old leader — moving her closer to reclaiming the gavel she first won more than a decade ago.

Pelosi’s relentless honey-over-vinegar approach to dealing with political headaches — which she learned at the foot of her father, former Baltimore mayor Thomas D’Alesandro — has been critical to sustaining her grip on power since Democrats won the House majority this month.

She has personally courted disgruntled members in meetings and by phone while deploying her sprawling network to bolster her bid among both liberals and moderates, all but overwhelming her critics with her ability to outmaneuver them.

“She doesn’t raise her voice; she doesn’t threaten anybody — that’s not her style,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D- Calif., a Pelosi ally. “She wins by winning the moral argument, by winning the public relations argument, by winning the argument with groups and activists. She’s going to be speaker.”

According to several aides involved in their discussions, Pelosi’s tenacity has rattled and weakened the ragtag group of rebel Democrats, mostly men, who have struggled to recruit a challenger.

But she has not yet shuttered their revolt. For now, they still might have the numbers to prevent her from winning the floor vote in January — 15 Democrats remain on the letter, at least four more Democrats said they will oppose her, and dozens more are publicly undecided.

Depending on the outcome of several uncalled races, Pelosi could potentially weather as many as 17 defections on the floor.

But the momentum is clearly with Pelosi. One potential challenger, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, dropped her plans Tuesday. And two leaders of the opposition, Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Tim Ryan, DOhio, have found themselves under intense scrutiny by Pelosi supporters accusing them of sexism or disloyalty.

At the moment, no potential Pelosi challenger is even close to preparing to jump into the race and champion their cause, according to Democrats involved in those talks.