New generation of leaders is sought
But no one has stepped up
WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi may have the wind at her back in her bid to regain the House speakership but this week Democratic insurgents will begin their coordinated, if long-shot, effort to keep the House gavel out of her hand.
Despite the high hurdles they face — many of the factors that helped Pelosi become and remain the House’s top Democrat are still in place — her intraparty critics are expected to try a number of maneuvers, including changing a rule governing the speaker’s election, in a bid for new leadership.
Bay State Rep. Seth Moulton portended these efforts Friday with his tweet about a “silent majority who want new leadership.”
Some aren’t so silent, including some incoming House Democrats who vowed on the campaign trail to oppose Pelosi.
“I never want to be disrespectful to anybody who has served, especially a woman who has broken glass ceilings,” said Rep.-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) on MSNBC yesterday. “But everyone has to represent their district, and I really heard from both sides of the aisle that people just want a new generation of leadership.”
Still, Pelosi comes to any leadership fight wellarmed. She is a top fundraiser who helped Democrats win well over the 23 seats they needed to regain control of the House in the midterms.
Her base of support has only grown now that she stands ready to battle President Trump as his top Democratic foil. She is also a master negotiator — and could cut a deal with opposing Democrats by leveraging key committee and leadership assignments.
But the best thing going for Pelosi is that no one has stepped up to challenge her.
“I don’t know how you beat Pelosi without anybody,” said one high-ranking House aide.
“I’ll wait to see who emerges,” Slotkin said.
Others within the caucus, including those who do not necessarily support Pelosi, oppose the rule changes other opponents are pushing because it would allow a small minority to “just create chaos, the kind that happens on the Republican side all the time,” said one House Democratic aide of GOP Freedom Caucus members who frequently clash with Republican leadership. “The last thing we should do is imitate them.”