Pelosi's Future as Speaker 'in Serious Jeopardy'

16 House Democrats vow to oppose her
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 19, 2018 3:00 PM CST
Pelosi's Future as Speaker 'in Serious Jeopardy'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks to reporters during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Nancy Pelosi continues to face a revolt from within her own party. Sixteen House Democrats released a letter Monday vowing not to vote for her as speaker, the Washington Post reports. It's unclear exactly how many Democrat votes Pelosi will need to prevail in her bid to once again serve as speaker of the House, since four races remain undecided; if the current leads hold in those races, Democrats (who are currently confirmed to have won 232 seats) will have won 233 seats. That's a 16-seat majority, meaning Pelosi could only afford to lose 15 Democrat votes. The Post does more math: One of the letter's signers, Ben McAdams, is actually trailing his Republican opponent and may not end up getting a vote; but there are also at least six other Democrats who have publicly expressed opposition to Pelosi but did not sign the letter.

"We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus," the group of 16 writes. "However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change." It continues, "Our majority came on the backs of candidates who said that they would support new leadership because voters in hard-won districts, and across the country, want to see real change in Washington. We promised to change the status quo, and we intend to deliver on that promise." Politico frames Pelosi's speaker bid as being "in serious jeopardy," but not everyone is convinced; allies predict Pelosi will "wear down" her opponents. Twitchy, meanwhile, calls the letter "problematic" and notes that just two women signed it. In related news, the New York Times is out Monday with an extensive profile of Pelosi, who is known as someone you don't want to cross. (On day one of orientation, a protest at Pelosi's office.)

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