On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced that she will run for another term in Congress – without specifying whether she will seek to remain leader of the Democratic caucus in the House beyond this year’s midterms.
“I am running for reelection to Congress,” Pelosi saidIn a Twitter video message, she announced her 19th congressional run.
Pelosi said that this year’s election was “crucial,” pointing to the attack on the U.S. Capitol building last year along with the assault on voting rights in GOP-led statehouses across the country.
“Nothing less is at stake than our democracy,” she added.
Pelosi, who is a member since 1987 of Congress, didn’t specify whether she would try to remain Speaker of the House should Democrats retain control of that legislative chamber in this year’s midterms, or whether she would seek another leadership position within the Democratic caucus if they lose. Pelosi is the Speaker of this House since 2019. She previously held the position between 2007 and 2011.
In late 2018, Pelosi made an agreement with her partyIf two-thirds of the Democratic caucus agreed that she should be reelected, she would limit her tenure in office as Speaker. If Democrats are able to retain the House after this year’s midterms, a new leader would likely have to take Pelosi’s place.
According to polling, most Americans want a new Speaker if Democrats are to retain control of Congress. In an Economist/YouGov pollSurvey results from January 22-25 showed that only 20 percent of likely voter said Pelosi should be Speaker if Democrats win, while 47 percent said they want another Democrat to take over. However, 46% of Democratic voters said that Pelosi should remain Speaker and 28% said that they would prefer someone else to do the same.
The results of the poll are not encouraging for Pelosi should she attempt to renege on her agreement or try to attain the two-thirds support from her party’s caucus. However, she polls significantly higher than her counterpart in House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, (R-California), and will likely be the Speaker of the House if a change in congressional leadership occurs.
When the Economist/Only 11 percent of likely voters voted for McCarthy to be Speaker if Republicans win control. One-fifteen percent suggested that Donald Trump be the Speaker (a far-fetched idea). But there are other options41% said another Republican should be in charge. Only 19% of Republican voters voted for McCarthy as the next Speaker. 33 percent preferred Trump, and 26 percent wanted another person in the position.
The poll also indicates that the midterm races will be contentious. When asked which party they plan to vote for in this year’s contest, 42 percent of respondents said they plan to vote for a Democrat while 38 percent said their preference was for the Republican on the ballot in their home district.
