There might be a few House Democrats who hold out and vote against returning the speakership to California Rep. Nancy Pelosi but no matter how you cut it, the math is on her side.
President Trump was right when he said earlier this month that she “deserves” it.
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The Washington Examiner‘s Laura Barrón-López reported Wednesday that Pelosi, currently the House minority leader, won her party’s nomination for speaker in a private vote, 203-32.
She needs just 218 to get the job, and the full floor vote isn’t until January.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., is leading a group of Democrats opposing Pelosi and she said Wednesday that they “remain united” to vote against her.
But most of them will come around because they know it’s inevitable. And there is no real argument against her anyway.
A party leader in the House is responsible for three things: promote party unity for or against legislation, raise money, and help the party win elections. Pelosi did all three. She raised $129 million for other Democrats. She led her party to take the House back.
She is, I understand, elderly and not black, but that seems a little beside the point when she’s been able to steamroll any potential challenger.
Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge had flirted with running for speaker but dropped the act last week. Here’s how the New York Times put it: “Ms. Fudge, who is African-American, said she had changed her mind after Ms. Pelosi gave her the opportunity to play a key role in safeguarding voting rights and assured her that black women would ‘have a seat at the decision-making table’ in the new Congress.”
The story framed the matter like a happy deal was reached, but it wasn’t a “deal.” That was Pelosi discarding a nonserious challenger and just barely letting her save face. That demonstration of power is a perfect illustration why Pelosi was always going to be speaker again.
