Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is confident Democrats will not only hold the House majority but also pick up seats as polls spell trouble for her narrow majority.
Pelosi, along with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, said her party has “strong optimism” heading into the midterm election in November.
“I was just in 12 cities in 12 days. We’re ready,” Pelosi told Punchbowl News. “And understand this. Because of the leadership of [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney], we’re ready.”
Pelosi attributed this expected victory to both the Jan. 6 riot and the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. However, she said that they expected to win well before those two incidents.
“So, when the Dobbs decision came down, it wasn’t one of those ‘if only we had known.’ No,” she said. “We believed we were going to win from Jan. 6 on — well, even November of last year on.”
The DCCC chairman said that voters are aware how out of line Republicans are and that it will show at the polls.
“Look, we understand that challenges remain. But you’re either on offense or defense in politics, and we’re clearly on offense,” Maloney said. “The Republicans know it. They’ve been cocky and overextended. They’re way out of position on Roe v. Wade, and the voters know it.”
As of Aug. 30, the GOP’s projected gained seats have slipped from 20-35 to 10-20 due to several factors, including the Dobbs decision and candidates viewed as weaker prevailing in GOP primary contests, a new Cook Political report shows.
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Pelosi added that the people mobilizing to raise money and the candidates, themselves, are the ones to thank if Democrats win the majority.
“So for a year, 10 months, eight months, terrific people had put themselves out there believing they could win in those districts,” Pelosi said.
Democrats’ unwavering optimism has taken hits in the past, particularly in 2010, when Democrats lost 63 seats. Pelosi maintained her position up until Election Day that the Democrats were going to win the House that year, mainly because of then-President Barack Obama’s signature on the Affordable Care Act in March 2010.
However, a rise in the Tea Party movement allowed for Republicans to take control of the House in 2010 for the 113th Congress, replacing Pelosi with Rep. John Boehner, at which point Pelosi became minority leader.
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At the time of the Democrats’ loss, several members who were Pelosi’s close allies stated that Obama did not provide her or House Democrats with political cover, which led to their downfall, according to a 2010 report.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Pelosi’s office for comment.
