The race to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., will mean nothing if Republicans lose control of the lower chamber, which seems increasingly possible. As their blue wave builds, it’s likely that Democratic candidates in key districts will be asked whether they support returning the gavel back to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Rep.-elect Conor Lamb, D-Pa., felt the need to distance himself from Pelosi so strongly that he released an ad assuring voters he didn’t support her.
Talk of ousting Pelosi has surfaced occasionally over the past year, and several House Democrats are on the record calling for a new leader. Early signs have emerged suggesting there’s been some light jockeying for the speakership should Republicans lose control in November.
Pelosi is already used as a liberal bogeyman by Republicans, hoping to hurt Democratic candidates between the coasts by tying them to the minority leader. After Lamb’s victory, Politico reported that “a half-dozen Democratic House members and candidates” told the outlet “they had been closely monitoring how Lamb handled the Pelosi attack.”
“A campaign manager for a Democratic candidate in a Republican-held district, granted anonymity to candidly discuss party strategy, said there’s a ‘100 percent chance that we’ll see more rejection of Pelosi from [Democratic] candidates going forward,'” Politico reported, quoting an additional Democratic strategist as saying, “Two things will happen: More Democrats are going to say they don’t support Pelosi, and Republicans will keep airing these Pelosi TV ads.”
With Ryan out, and the blue wave building, Democrats, especially in red and purple districts, will be forced this summer to confront the future of their congressional leadership. And if enough believe distancing themselves from Pelosi would best serve their chances in November, it could actually result in a change, whether they win back control or not.
