House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., challenged Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, and anyone else to give her a run for her money atop the House Democratic conference, declaring that she has the votes to take back the speakership if the vote were held today.
“Come on in. The water’s warm” Pelosi said during her weekly press conference when asked of a possible challenge from Fudge.
Pelosi told reporters that she will win the speakership with Democratic votes, a position she has held since Election Day despite some members of her own caucus vowing to oppose her as leader.
[Read more: Tim Ryan, other Democratic defectors predict Pelosi’s downfall after first caucus meeting]
“Yes,” Pelosi said when asked if she would win the race if were held Thursday. “I intend to win the speakership with Democratic votes … I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, and certainly, we have many, many people in our caucus who could serve in this capacity. I happen to think, that at this point, I am the best person for that.”
The longtime California Democrat bristled when asked if she would accept Republican votes to put her over the top before declaring that she has secured the votes to win back the gavel.
“Oh please,” Pelosi said. “No. Never, never.”
Roughly 17 House Democrats have committed to signing a letter that pledges opposition to Pelosi on the House floor in January, with two more close to signing, according to a source. Details of the letter and who has signed it have yet to be released as the anti-Pelosi faction works to gather more signatures ahead of the Nov. 28 private caucus vote. The letter could be released as early as this week.
“To those who say it’s an issue of gender, that’s just not true,” Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., told reporters Wednesday. “I’m a woman and a lot of our new members are women and they should not be made to feel that they’re anti-women if they don’t vote for Nancy Pelosi.”
Rice is one of the leaders in the revolt against Pelosi, along with Democratic Reps. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Fudge.
The detractors argue that this isn’t about age or Pelosi’s policies. Instead they say it is about the supposed drag she has on candidates running in newly flipped red districts and the need for a change after Pelosi has led the caucus for 16 years. A number of members have voiced frustrations since 2016 about the inability to move up into the top three slots because of the tight grip Pelosi and her top two deputies – Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn – have on the caucus.
