Rep. Jim Himes on Thursday rejected the idea that Republicans will be able to scare people into voting for GOP candidates in November by warning that a Democrat-led House would be run by Nancy Pelosi.
“I don’t think so,” said Himes, D-Conn., when asked if Democrats should be promising new leadership. “I don’t actually think there’s any pressure for Nancy Pelosi to step down.”
Pelosi, D-Calif., has been raised for months now by Republicans who say giving back the House to Democrats will give control back to Pelosi. About a dozen incumbent Democrats have already said they would vote against Pelosi to lead the Democrats in the next Congress, and several more candidates have said she’s too old to represent a younger wave of Democratic voters.
[Also read: Republican memo: Attacking Nancy Pelosi is the path to survival]
But Himes said most voters don’t care about who leads the party, and said they will be voting for the party based on issues.
“I don’t think there are many Americans sitting around today saying, ‘what really makes the difference is whether it’s Steny Hoyer or Nancy Pelosi or Jim Himes’ or whoever it might be,” he said. “I just don’t think the leader of the Democratic Party is a kitchen table issue.”
While the economy is booming under Trump, Himes said Democrats will get to run by arguing that the GOP tax cut bill gave billions of dollars to companies and threatens to boost the national debt.
“We can run on fact that the Republicans took the American people’s children’s money … and handed it to a whole bunch of corporations who didn’t need it, a whole bunch of rich people who are doing just fine in this country,” Himes said.
