Nancy Pelosi Seeks Another Term As House Speaker After Democrats Lose Seats
On Friday, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi formally announced that she is seeking another term as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Politico reported.
In a letter sent to her colleagues, the 80-year-old Pelosi said, “Our vision for the next two years must be built on the success of Democratic House Majority in the 116th Congress, and to harness the extraordinary visions, values and vibrancy of our Caucus to secure the progress that the American people deserve.”
“In that spirit, I am wring to request your support to be re-elected as Speaker. I do so with utmost respect for the diverse viewpoints in our Democratic Caucus, the gravity of this role the urgency of the challenges ahead.”
Pelosi also vowed to work closely with “President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” who are all but certain to win in the race for the White House.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who is 81, is expected to stay in his role. Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who is also 81, will most likely retain his leadership position as well. The three veterans have led House Democrats for the last 14 years.
In 2018, Pelosi promised to step down from her position in 2022, after serving another two terms. However, she seems to have backtracked on that promise. Since 2018, she has repeatedly declined to engage on the topic. Pelosi did the same earlier this week when members of the press asked if she plans on stepping down.
She refused to comment, saying “That’s the least important question you could ask today.”
Pelosi has faced criticism from members of her caucus. In 2018, after the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump, she was slammed for lending him a helping hand by pushing the USMCA trade agreement and agreeing to a budget deal. Most recently, she was criticized for not agreeing to a stimulus deal proposed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Still, Pelosi is not expected to face serious challengers in her bid for the speakership.
Pelosi’s announcement came just days after her party lost seats in the House.
As The Associated Press reported, Democrats expected to gain as many as 15 seats in the lower chamber. So far, they have lost seven.
Representatives Collin Peterson of Minnesota, Abby Finkenauer of Iowa, Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala of Florida, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico and Kendra Horn of Oklahoma were all defeated by their Republican challengers.
Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, leader of the DCC, narrowly beat her opponent.
The Democratic Party has underperformed when it comes to the Senate as well. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Democrats spent more than $1 billion on upper chamber races but failed to flip key seats.
