Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) thanked fellow Democrats in a letter Saturday for support she has received since announcing her run for Minority Leader in the next Congress.

“In the 24 hours since I wrote seeking your views and your vote for Democratic Leader, I have been very gratified by the extensive and enthusiastic support I have received,” Pelosi wrote. “Many of our colleagues, from all areas of our diverse Caucus, have been generous with their ideas and their support.”

Pelosi also signaled in her letter a need to improve the party’s communications with constituents.
“In the 2006 election with our ‘New Direction’ and ‘6 for ’06’ message, we spoke with great clarity and unity — and we won. Now we must further modernize not only that message but the way in which we communicate with constituents.”

President Barack Obama also has said in the days since Democrats lost control of the House that he did not communicate his agenda effectively with the American people.

Pelosi said she hopes that defeated Democrats will run again in two years, but in the meantime Democrats will have “a renewed dedication to fighting every day for jobs, economic recovery and the middle class.”

Despite Pelosi’s letter, and a number of endorsements she has received since her announcement, her decision remains controversial inside the Democratic Caucus with some Democrats arguing that she should step aside because she has become a lightning rod whom Republicans used successfully to help defeat moderates by the dozens on Election Day.

No one has yet stepped up to challenge her, despite a threat from Blue Dog Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) to do so, nor is any such challenge likely to be successful.

Several of the remaining members of the Blue Dog Coalition, including Reps. Dan Boren (Okla.) and Jim Matheson (Utah) have said they will not support Pelosi’s bid.