Republicans will have to search for a new political “villain” after Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that she would step down as the leader of House Democrats.
The GOP spent tens of millions of dollars this election cycle tying vulnerable candidates to Pelosi, blaming the legislation she ushered through Congress for surging inflation and the crisis at the southern border. In Illinois, the National Republican Congressional Committee accused Eric Sorensen of being in “Pelosi’s pocket.” In Florida’s Senate race, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) painted his opponent, Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), as “Pelosi’s puppet.”
The tactic is nothing new. The GOP has carted out the “Fire Pelosi” rallying cry for more than a decade as retaking a House majority became synonymous with booting Pelosi from her perch as House speaker, a position she’s held twice.
Today, there is perhaps no figure more reviled among grassroots Republicans. Donald Trump, who taunts her as “Crazy Nancy,” was met with chants of “lock her up” after the former president invoked Pelosi at a rally for Rubio two days before the midterm elections.
“There’s no question that she is the biggest boogeyman on the Right,” a Republican official involved in the midterm elections told the Washington Examiner.
Pelosi revealed in a farewell address before the House floor on Thursday that she would not run for a leadership position, ending her two decades atop the Democratic caucus. Without her as the figurehead for House Democrats, Republicans are losing a tried-and-true foil.
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GOP strategist John Feehery told the Washington Examiner that with 2024 fast approaching, Joe Biden, a president whose approval ratings remain underwater, is the natural choice to fill the gap in campaign advertising.
The party utilized the president in campaign ads this cycle and sometimes even featured Pelosi and Biden in the same commercials. Nonetheless, Biden has cultivated the reputation of being a centrist, and Republican operatives are frustrated that he doesn’t get out in front of the press more often, given that he is prone to gaffes.
“It was always questioned whether or not Biden is as potent with voters and viewed as out of touch as, say, Nancy Pelosi is,” the official said.
Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the lawmaker expected to replace Pelosi next year, doesn’t have anywhere near the name recognition she does. The same can be said of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who, despite serving in the Senate since the late ‘90s, only assumed Democrats’ top leadership post in that chamber in 2017 after Harry Reid stepped down.
Republicans were heartened after Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), despised by the party for the way he handled the Trump-Russia investigation, considered a bid for Pelosi’s job. But he ultimately decided against it and is reportedly eyeing a run for Senate.
Whomever Republicans choose, the tactic of villainizing a party figure will continue a long tradition in American politics. The GOP spent years demonizing Hillary Clinton, and Democrats in the past made boogeymen out of GOP megadonors the Koch brothers and, to some extent, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Since 2016, Trump’s dominance over the Republican Party has proven to be a boon for Democrats in their messaging.
Democrats have lambasted the GOP’s decision to elevate Pelosi following the hammer attack on her husband, Paul, in what appeared to be a politically motivated assault.
Feehery dismissed Democrats laying blame at the feet of Republicans but said the party’s heavy use of Pelosi, the first woman to wield the speaker’s gavel, in campaign commercials feeds the narrative that the GOP is sexist and could alienate female voters. The party’s best bet, he said, would be to stop making villains out of national figures altogether.
“I think that it’s kind of a cheap way to make ads,” he said. “And I’m sure it’s been effective over the years, but I think the challenge for Republicans is to actually talk about issues.”
Republicans should stop nationalizing elections and instead target polarizing governors, he said, including Govs. Kathy Hochul in New York and J.B. Pritzker in Illinois.
The Republican official similarly used Hochul to demonstrate the party could move beyond Pelosi as a foil. One of the few bright spots for the GOP this election cycle was winning four competitive seats in the Empire State — two on Long Island and two in the Hudson Valley.
“In those districts, she was toxic and she was way more effective than Nancy Pelosi, so it isn’t the end all be all to lose Nancy Pelosi as the face of the Democrat Party for the purpose of TV ads, but there definitely is — she will be missed by some ad makers for sure,” the official said.
The official attributed Pelosi’s effectiveness as a boogeyman to her two decades in House leadership, with the money Republicans spent cycle after cycle casting her as the titular head of the party compounding over the years.
“It also helps that she is a very, very wealthy Democrat from San Francisco,” the official added. “Most folks view San Francisco as too far left of everything. So, it’s like, you don’t want your community to look like San Francisco, and Nancy Pelosi in charge does that.”
Pelosi will remain a rank-and-file member of Congress next year, and she’s expected to continue in an advisory role for the rising crop of Democratic House leaders. She’ll continue to be an asset for Democrats as a fundraising powerhouse, too.
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For these reasons, the official doesn’t expect that Pelosi will disappear from campaign advertising altogether.
“We’re not going to quit talking about Nancy Pelosi,” the official said. “I think she will continue to be in the news, talked about in Republican circles. She’s still going to be a factor.”
