WASHINGTON | Sixteen Democrats who’ve opposed Nancy Pelosi’s bid to become speaker released a letter Monday saying they plan to vote for “new leadership” when the House selects its leaders in January, posing a threat to her effort to lead her party’s House majority in the next Congress.
The release of the letter suggests that instead of spending the next six weeks concentrating on a new agenda to present to Americans, House Democrats could be consumed with a bitter and attention-grabbing internal leadership fight.
The division pits the party’s mostly liberal and diverse membership who support Pelosi, D-Calif., against a small group of mostly moderate, male lawmakers. Of the 16 Democrats who signed the letter — which stops short of explicitly saying they will vote for an opposing candidate for speaker — all but two are men: Reps. Kathleen Rice of New York and California’s Linda Sanchez.
“We promised to change the status quo, and we intend to deliver on that promise,” the authors wrote, referring to campaign pledges to back new House leaders made by a number of Democratic candidates. “Therefore, we are committed to voting for new leadership in both our Caucus meeting and on the House Floor.”
Pelosi, who has activated an aggressive campaign for the position involving House colleagues, prominent outside Democrats and party-aligned interest groups, showed no sign of surrender.
She is known as a precise vote counter with a keen sense of her caucus’ tendencies and is aided by the lack of a declared opponent and many weeks during which she can dangle choice committee assignments, rules changes and other goodies to help attract support.
Pelosi has repeatedly expressed confidence she will be elected speaker. A senior Democratic aide noted Monday that more than 9 in 10 Democrats had not signed the letter.
