The New York Times editorial board is calling on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her top two deputies to step aside and allow younger Democratic members to lead the caucus.
The Times takes aim at Pelosi, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Democratic Assistant Leader Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., criticizing the trio for maintaining their power rather than preparing the next generation.
“For too long, this regime has clung to power at the expense of future leaders,” the Times editorial board writes. “Neither of Ms. Pelosi’s two chief deputies, Steny Hoyer, the party whip, and Jim Clyburn, the assistant leader, is a remotely viable successor. Like Ms. Pelosi, both men are just shy of 80 and have occupied top-tier posts for over a decade. At this point, the caucus leadership has gone from stale to downright ossified.”
The devastating primary defeat of Rep. Joe Crowley at the hands of the 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stunned House Democrats last week and raised broader questions about who could replace Pelosi. Crowley was widely seen as the heir apparent and many expected he would challenge Pelosi after November. His absence leaves a void in the caucus and many members are now weighing their options in leadership.
Pelosi has made clear she plans to stay on after the midterms. Pressed on the increasing clamor among Democratic candidates for her to step down and make room for younger, liberal, female members, Pelosi pushed back.
“Well, I’m female, I’m progressive, so what’s your problem?” Pelosi said.
The Times argues that Democrats are “supposed to be the party of the future,” and the “party of youth and progress.”
“That spirit is hard to convey with a House leadership team that looks uniformly and dramatically like the past,” the editorial board writes.
