A handful of House Democrats said Wednesday they would not support Nancy Pelosi’s bid to become House speaker, and insisted after a Democratic caucus meeting they have the votes to take her down.
Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, who is working with other defectors to topple Pelosi, joked after the meeting that she “just might” put her name forward for a speaker bid.
“It’s clear I’m not going to be voting for the current leader,” Fudge said. “Let us just hypothetically say that there are not enough votes for her to win on the floor, someone will emerge if no one has emerged before that — we’re not going to allow the Republicans to have the speaker.”
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Fudge charged that the leadership is not reflective of the diversity in the party. Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn is the only member of color out of the top three leaders, but Fudge said that there’s “no guarantee” Clyburn is re-elected as majority whip. Clyburn is facing a challenge from Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., for the third-ranking whip spot.
Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan, who mounted a failed bid against Pelosi in 2016, has long been opposed to her continued reign, and said formally after Wednesday’s meeting that he would vote against her on the floor. Ryan said he and other Democrats would release a letter by the end of this week that reveals how many Democrats feel the same way.
“We’re going to bring change, the people want change,” Ryan said. “I also have a Midwestern concern here, if you look at everybody running now, there’s absolutely nobody in the Midwest.”
There are about 10 House Democrats who are known to be opposed to Pelosi becoming the next House speaker, and some have said there might be as many as 20 Democrats ready to vote against her.
At the start of each new Congress, the speaker is elected by a majority of members — 218 if everyone votes. Republicans are expected to vote for a GOP candidate, and if enough Democrats decide to vote against Pelosi, she won’t be able to get a majority.
But if no other Democratic candidate emerges, or if Pelosi is still more popular than any emerging alternatives, that will put pressure on Pelosi’s Democratic opponents to support her.
Her detractors say they don’t need a candidate, and that when they present their numbers to the public, Pelosi will have no choice but to step down and allow someone else to take her place.
But Pelosi, who has led the caucus for 16 years, remains steadfast that she will be hold the gavel for a second time come January. Democrats said there was no mention of the ongoing leadership scramble in the caucus meeting, and no other candidate has come forward yet to challenge her.
“I don’t have anything to say about that; I’m just going to say that I will be speaker,” Pelosi said after the Wednesday morning meeting with her caucus. Her allies agreed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there would be no Affordable Care Act if it were not for Nancy Pelosi,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. “She knows her caucus and I think we need that kind of leadership right now.”
As the group of defectors tries to persuade incoming freshman to join them, Pelosi’s pulling out all the stops, dangling committee assignments, holding welcome dinners for new members, and setting up one-on-one meetings.
Later Wednesday, the caucus will meet with incoming members to discuss the new majority and a possible rule change raised by detractors that would increase the threshold for the votes Pelosi needs inside the caucus. It’s expected to fail.
