Nancy Pelosi’s allies say she might be able to pick up votes to be the next House speaker if she explains to Democrats what she means when she says she would be a “transitional” leader.
Pelosi, D-Calif., said she’d be willing to step down after some short period of time as a way of assuring new Democrats that she would make room for them in the House Democratic leadership structure. But the trouble is, no one knows exactly what she’s proposing.
[Related: Pelosi and her deputies cling to power despite calls to give way to new generation of Democrats]
When Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., was asked if more specifics would help her case, he said, “probably.”
“If she were to say, ‘I’d like to be a transitional leader for six months,’ then that would probably change some votes,” he said.
Another ally, Rep. Catherine Clark, D-Mass., agreed that a more detailed timeline could help Pelosi pick up some of the votes that right now are opposed to her speakership.
“It might help for some voters,” said Clark, who is running for the No. 6 spot in leadership. “We’ll have to see over the next week if someone steps forward … That’s going to be a decision for the caucus.”
Even one of Pelosi’s possible challengers, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, said Pelosi would help herself if she committed to a single term. The Ohio Democrat has been floated by multiple members who have urged the caucus to dethrone Pelosi, but have not come up with a concrete challenger yet.
As of this week, however, Pelosi hadn’t made clear how a “transitional” speakership would work. Many think she would only be around for one term, but Pelosi declined to lay out a timetable to The Atlantic — she said she wanted to be speaker for more than one year, and didn’t commit to a single two-year term.
“I’ll be a full term. I’m not here for a year. If I were here for a year, I’d go home right now,” Pelosi said. “I’m not going to declare myself a lame duck over a glass of water.”
While Yarmuth agreed that more specificity might help, he also said it might weaken her leadership.
“I don’t think she’d be as effective,” Yarmuth said. “Then we’d be having these conversations for the next six months … and that would be too big of a distraction.”
The anti-Pelosi faction, headlined by Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., believe the issue is much larger than just her inability to define how long she will remain atop the conference. Seventeen members of the upcoming House Democratic class have signed a letter vowing to oppose her on the floor.
Ryan said Friday that Pelosi has not indicated anything outside of saying that she will be a “transitional” leader and that the group of 17 is not all that interested in what it means.
“We’ve not heard any of that, except her saying that,” Ryan said. “We’ve not seen any indication of anything along the lines of transition … We’re looking for change.”
The group of 17 could grow in the coming days, according to Ryan, adding that the number of signatories is “fluid.”
Pelosi said Thursday that she would win a floor vote if it were held at that moment despite Democrats holding 231 seats (with six races not called yet), allowing her to lose only 13 seats to take the gavel.
