Pelosi fights for return to House speaker role
Former speaker has had to shore up support from fellow Democrats
WASHINGTON – Nancy Pelosi wants to be speaker of the House again, and she has five days left to make her case.
Although Pelosi said she’s confident she will win her bid, she’s had to shore up support – even among Democratic groups that have long backed her.
In recent weeks, she spoke to Hispanic lawmakers, hosted a dinner for new Democratic members and joined African-American lawmakers addressing a conference of black activists.
Pelosi, who made history as the first female speaker of the House, faces an open rebellion from a bloc of 16 Democratic lawmakers who signed a letter calling for a change in the “status quo” of the party’s leadership. Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, mulled a challenge for the top spot.
Late Tuesday, Fudge announced her support for Pelosi within minutes of the Democratic leader releasing a statement that Fudge would chair a subcommittee focused on elections and voting issues. Voting rights has been one of Fudge’s signature issues.
Pelosi’s fight for the gavel comes on the heels of Democrats picking up at least 37 seats to take control of the House after eight years under Republican rule, and that number could tick up as the remaining undecided races are called. Many of those wins came from diverse suburban districts that had once supported Donald Trump.
Pelosi courted the mostly liberal members of the Congressional Black Caucus and a group of 48 centrists called the Problem Solvers Caucus.
She met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Blue Dog Coalition, the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
“This is the moment to leverage the agenda,” said Wendy Smooth, associate professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University. “She will get a strong message from her caucuses about the ways they would like the agenda shaped. It depends on what she’s promising in these meetings.”
Smooth said committee assignments and leadership roles are on the table.
The caucuses, some with varying missions, have lengthy wish lists from more action on climate control to protecting voting rights to immigration changes and changing rules to speed up bipartisan legislation.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said the meeting was productive and was followed up Monday in a call with Pelosi staffers to discuss the group’s “Break the Gridlock” package, which aims to encourage bipartisan cooperation. Nine Democrats from the caucus signed a letter calling for Pelosi’s support. Pelosi sent a statement last week backing the package in principle, but Gottheimer said the language wasn’t specific enough.
“I’ve been pretty clear … we’re only going to back someone who is going to break the gridlock,” Gottheimer said.
Pelosi, who served as speaker from 2007 to 2011, is likely to win the first round of voting Wednesday in the Democratic caucus’ closed-door secret election. She needs only a majority to win the nomination. To become speaker, she will need a majority of the full House –
218 votes – and has little room to lose a significant bloc of Democrats.
Pelosi pledged to make voting rights – one of the “unifying issues” for the Democrats, according to Smooth – a priority and one of the first measures the House will vote on next session.
In a nod to one of the most diverse Congresses ever, Pelosi touted a proposal to expand a diversity initiative in the chamber and is discussing a possible panel on climate change.
Supporters point to Pelosi’s legislative experience and ability to corral Democrats on issues and note her big role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act in
2010. Many Democrats campaigned on the issue in the midterms.
Some experts said it might not sit well if Pelosi isn’t in the top post, especially after a record number of women were elected to the House, many of them Democrats.
“As all women leaders know, it is never the last fight,” Smooth said. “Pelosi is a skilled politician and a skilled woman in politics, so she knows this is only the fight until the next one.”
Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in California, said the letter signed by the
16 Democrats “complicates things. If all
16 signers hold together and vote against her in the official vote, she’s got a problem.”
Pitney said the next speaker must be ready to take on Trump and wrestle with the Republican-controlled Senate led by Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “Trump is going to press very hard,” Pitney said. “McConnell is a very formidable opponent, and for somebody without any experience, it’s like a touch football player suiting up against the NFL.”
Jeff Van Drew, a newly elected Democrat from New Jersey, said he promised during the campaign he wouldn’t back Pelosi. “Not that I have any personal dislike for her or she didn’t do a good job in her time,” said Van Drew, who was among the Democrats who signed the letter. “But sometimes it’s good to have a fresh new face and to have change and go forward with some new ideas.”
Virginia’s Rep.-elect Abigail Spanberger, one of the record number of women who will serve in the next Congress, said “under no circumstances” would she vote for Pelosi.
“It is something that came up frequently on the campaign trail, particularly for our middle-of-the-road voters,” Spanberger said. “I think she is an incredibly strong person, I think that she’s done incredibly good things. But also my background is CIA. You never held a job at CIA longer than three years.”
Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, said she “remains confident in her support among members and members-elect.” He noted that 94 percent of the caucus declined to sign the letter.
Several longtime members pledged support, saying Pelosi paid her dues and played a key role in helping Democrats regain control of the House.
“Nancy Pelosi’s not worried,” said Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who is in line to chair the Finance Committee. “Nancy Pelosi said we were going to win. And when people doubted her, she said we’re going to win, and guess what? She was right. Nancy Pelosi said she’s going to be the speaker. I believe Nancy Pelosi is right.”