Where Newly Elected Democrats Stand on Nancy Pelosi Speaker Bid

By Lindsey McPherson

Posted November 7, 2018 at 12:10am

Updated on Dec. 6 at 6:21 p.m. | Now that she’s helped Democrats win the House majority, Nancy Pelosi’s bid to reclaim the speaker’s gavel is officially underway.

Several Democratic candidates expressed opposition to Pelosi or echoed general calls for new leadership during their campaigns, but only a handful had made specific pledges to oppose her during a floor vote for speaker. That number has grown since the election, but so too has the number of members-elect supporting Pelosi.

Pelosi had the support of more than two-thirds of the incoming freshmen class Nov. 28 when the Democratic Caucus officially nominated her for speaker.

No one challenged Pelosi for the gavel, and many members who are looked at as future leaders ran for and won lower level leadership positions.

Despite running unopposed, Pelosi has yet to lock down the 218 votes needed to be elected speaker on the floor on Jan. 3.

New Members Could Spell Trouble for Pelosi’s Speaker Bid

Unless Pelosi can convince some of her critics to not participate in the speaker vote or vote “present” — which would lower the threshold she needs to reach of a majority of House members voting — she is poised to have a cushion of 17 votes.

Here are the newly elected Democrats and where they stand on the Pelosi question. This list does not include incumbents, at least 11 of whom have also said they’ll vote against Pelosi for speaker on the floor.

Will vote against Pelosi on the floor

The following newly elected Democrats have specifically committed to voting against Pelosi for speaker on the floor.

Conor Lamb, Pennsylvania’s 17th District (already a member but won his first full term in a different district)
Jason Crow, Colorado’s 6th District
Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s 7th District
Max Rose, New York’s 11th District
Joe Cunningham, South Carolina’s 1st District
Jeff Van Drew, New Jersey’s 2nd District
Jarden Golden, Maine’s 2nd District
Anthony Brindisi, New York’s 22nd District

Was opposed, now unclear

These newly elected Democrats have at some point said they would oppose Pelosi for speaker but some have since been less clear about where they stand, suggesting they might not vote against her on the floor.

Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey’s 11th District
Elissa Slotkin, Michigan’s 8th District
Andy Kim, New Jersey’s 3rd District
Gil Cisneros, California’s 39th District

Wants new leadership

Some incoming Democrats have called for new leadership without specifying an exact position on Pelosi.

Dean Phillips, Minnesota’s 3rd District
Kendra Horn, Oklahoma’s 5th District

Undecided or dodged Pelosi questions

Many of the incoming freshman Democrats dodged the Pelosi question during their campaigns. Some said they were undecided, while others said they’d have to wait to see who would be running for speaker.