The third-ranking House Democrat says he intends to run for House speaker if Democrats retake the majority and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has already signaled she’ll run for the leadership post, fails to get sufficient support in the caucus.
“If the opportunity is there I would absolutely do it,” Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina told the New York Times.
Clyburn said he would be able to “transform” the party, according to McClatchy, who first reported his intentions Tuesday.
The 78-year-old member of the Congressional Black Caucus came under pressure last week at a group retreat to challenge Pelosi, who needs 218 votes to secure the speakership position. Clyburn, however, said he still supports Pelosi for now.
[Also read: Sacramento Bee urges Nancy Pelosi to abandon speakership ambitions]
He also said a black speaker would “put to bed forever the notion that the Democratic caucus is taking black voters for granted.”
As she faces calls from within her own party to step aside by younger party members seeking generational change and candidates who have sought to distance themselves from her amid Republican attacks, Pelosi said she’s unbothered by Clyburn’s interest in becoming speaker. She views him as a brother and a “beautiful, lovely member of Congress,” she told the Times.
She added that any Democrat, including Clyburn, who seeks to succeed her would have to demonstrate they have a following, an ability to fundraise huge amounts for the party, and “they’ve shown a vision for the country.”
“What I have always tried to do is build a bridge to the future, and hope that would be in the majority,” Pelosi said. “If people want to be the bridge that I’m building toward, they have to show what’s on the other side of the bridge.”
