House Democrats are split on their support of potential Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives in early November, and in a vote on Nov. 28 chose Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker of the House. Pelosi was the first female Speaker when the Democrats last held control of the House, from 2007 to 2011.
Pelosi’s critics include Democrats from more right leaning districts. However, there have been a number of other Democratic representatives who have been very vocal with their dislike for Pelosi.
Sixteen Democrats signed a letter opposing Pelosi’s probable run for Speaker, arguing the reason the House flipped was due to voters wanting major change in Washington. They claimed electing a Democrat who had been a party leader for fifteen years was detrimental to the voters’ hope because of a lack of newer ideas. “We promise to change the status quo” they wrote. The letter has gained a few more signatures since its initial release.
However, the anti-Pelosi Democrats failed to produce another candidate for Speaker. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, one of the original signatories of the letter, announced she would support Pelosi. She had been considering running for the Speaker position and had been the strongest challenger to Pelosi so far.
On Wednesday, the Democratic caucus for Speaker voted to nominate Pelosi for the position as expected. She only needed 118 votes for the nomination, and the official vote will happen in January, when the new representatives are sworn in. This week’s vote was more of a formality. As of now she lacks votes to win among the entire House.
To gain more democratic supporters, Pelosi is making offers to representatives who are on the fence. She promised Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a position on the gun violence task force and Fudge a position on the elections subcommittee, which Pelosi plans on bringing back. Many representatives are also supportive of Pelosi simply because of the lack of a challenger.
Pelosi’s deals to gain support alienated her opponents further. Her “backroom deals represent the establishment-based transactional politics that the American people hate and patently rejected,” Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said. Rice is one of the leaders of the anti-Pelosi Democrats.
The anti-Pelosi representatives’ goal is to find a potential challenger soon. They believe if they derail her from the 218 votes she needs from the entire House, they can convince another Democrat to run. There are still a few dozen Democrats who have not shared their positions on Pelosi’s bid for Speaker. Many are worried this divide among the party could lead to a floor fight creating bad press and potentially a loss of majority.
Some of the opposition to Pelosi appear open to talks with the representative. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., one of her most vocal opponents, alluded to a potential discussion with Pelosi. Some of the anti-Pelosi Democrats who are in relatively good standing with the potential Speaker may be more willing to lead negotiations.
However, Pelosi is not in contact with the majority of the group. After Wednesday’s vote, it is expected she will continue to try to gain enough support to win the House majority through more deals.