WASHINGTON—Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi faced a reckoning from fellow House Democrats on Wednesday as frustrated lawmakers tried to oust her from the leadership post she’s held for over a decade.
The 76-year-old California Democrat, known as a master vote counter, was expected to beat back the challenge from Ohio Rep Tim Ryan as Democrats met behind closed doors.
But she was forced to promise changes to the caucus to answer complaints from lawmakers fed up with being shut out of the upper ranks of leadership, especially in the wake of a devastating election that installed a GOP monopoly over Congress and the White House.
A half-dozen Democrats were slated to deliver testimonials to Pelosi in nominating speeches, but the disenchantment was evident.
“I think Tim Ryan would be a great leader. He’s a new generation and I think he would appeal to a lot of millennials and young people in this country,” Rep. Steve Lynch, D-Mass., said as he headed into the session. “He brings a certain excitement and also a bit of common sense from Youngstown, Ohio.”
“Our base is working people and we’ve got to talk about that. We’ve got to tell working people in this country that we care about them,” Lynch said.
Leadership elections were originally scheduled to be held before Thanksgiving but were delayed to give Democrats more time to discuss and process the election results and consider a path forward. Many are discouraged after losing the White House and making smaller than expected gains in both chambers of Congress.
“I believe we must do more than simply paper over the cracks,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, one of a handful of House Democrats to endorse Ryan. “We can’t just say the right things — we must take concrete steps to move our party in the right direction.”
