Sixteen Democrats formally promised on Monday to vote against Nancy Pelosi’s bid to be House speaker, but the final letter didn’t include the signature of one House Democrat who is considering a challenge to Pelosi, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio.
Fudge signed a draft copy of the letter first obtained by the Washington Examiner Monday morning, which had 17 signatures on it, but her name was removed from the final copy.
One possible reason Fudge is absent from the letter is likely due to her potential challenge. In 2016, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, left his name off of a similar letter when he was considering a run against Pelosi — Ryan ultimately jumped into the race and lost. There’s also a possibility Fudge could find a way to support Pelosi if they reached some agreement; the lawmakers met Friday to discuss the ongoing battle.
In a letter sent to their Democratic colleagues, the 16 Democrats pledged to oppose Pelosi in both the caucus and floor votes for speaker. The move to oust Pelosi comes two weeks after Democrats seized control of the House, netting their largest gains since Watergate.
“We promised to change the status quo and we intend to deliver on that promise,” the group of insurgents wrote in the letter first reported on by the Washington Examiner. “Therefore, we are committed to voting for new leadership in both our Caucus meeting and on the House floor.”
Now that Democrats have control for the first time in eight years, Pelosi is intent on reclaiming the speaker’s gavel. But a contingent of vocal critics have had enough of the California Democrat, promising to break with caucus norms and deny Pelosi the necessary votes when the new Congress elects a speaker in January. As it stands, Democrats have a 232-seat majority, meaning Pelosi can only lose 14 Democrats on the floor if every member votes and Republicans stick with their GOP candidate. If just the pledged 16 vote against Pelosi on the floor and no other members vote present, lowering the threshold, she would fall short.
[Kathleen Rice: Democrats risk losing the House if Pelosi wins the speaker’s gavel]
“Our majority came on the backs of candidates who said that they would support new leadership because voters in hard-won districts, and across the country, want to see real change in Washington,” the members wrote.
The detractors, who launched their campaign to topple her less than 24 hours after the Nov. 6 election, thanked Pelosi, crediting her for passing some of the party’s “most important legislative achievements.” But “the time has come for new leadership,” the letter stated.
The anti-Pelosi faction specifically reached out to incoming freshmen who promised on the campaign trail to vote against Pelosi if elected, assuring them they weren’t alone. A number of freshmen signed the letter, including Max Rose and Anthony Brindisi of New York. There are at least four additional members — Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Jason Crow of Colorado, Jared Golden of Maine, and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania — who declined to sign the letter but are expected to vote against Pelosi on the floor.
“Democrats ran and won on a message of change,” wrote the defectors.
But Pelosi has no plans to roll over, daring critics at every turn to put forward a challenger. The Californian is using every tool in her arsenal to woo incoming members, rolling out key endorsements from influential advocacy groups, hosting dinners, dangling committee assignments, proposing the creation of new select committees, and reminding the caucus of her formidable fundraising prowess.
Pelosi, who has led the caucus for 16 years, raised $121.7 million for the 2018 cycle, which ended with Democrats flipping at least 37 seats across the country.
If Pelosi is blocked, her allies have threatened to turn around and deny any candidate put forward by insurgents. Below is a list of the Democrats who signed onto the letter:
[Opinion: Democrats would be nuts to oust Nancy Pelosi]
Current members:
1. Tim Ryan, Ohio
2. Seth Moulton, Mass.
3. Kathleen Rice, N.Y.
4. Ed Perlmutter, Colo.
5. Kurt Schrader, Ore.
6. Filemon Vela, Texas
7. Linda Sanchez, Calif.
8. Bill Foster, Ill.
9. Brian Higgins, N.Y.
10. Jim Cooper, Tenn.
11. Stephen Lynch, Mass.
Incoming members:
12. Jeff Van Drew, N.J.
13. Joe Cunningham, S.C.
14. Max Rose, N.Y.
15. Anthony Brindisi, N.Y. (race still uncalled)
16. Ben McAdams, Utah (race still uncalled)
This story was updated at 3:15 pm
