Democrats nominate Pelosi to keep Speakership
House Democrats on Wednesday nominated Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to remain atop the party for another two years, brushing aside some internal grousing about a disappointing election performance in a vote demonstrating an overwhelming confidence in their long-time leader. The nomination was secured by voice vote during a process conducted remotely as a health precaution amid a surge in coronavirus cases. The outcome was never in doubt: Pelosi ran unopposed, and her dealings with Trump over the last two years have won the praise of even her sharpest Democratic critics. To secure the gavel, Pelosi will still need to secure a majority of the full House in January.
Fifteen Democrats had opposed her in that public floor vote in 2019, and at least 10 of them are returning in the 117th Congress — a figure significant enough to block her path, given the party’s slimmer majority next year. Yet Pelosi has already won the support of several of those defectors, and she’s expected to rally enough votes to win the gavel for another term, when Democrats are hoping to advance an ambitious legislative slate under a Biden administration.
The caucus on Wednesday also reelected Pelosi’s top lieutenants, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) ... Hoyer and Clyburn ran unopposed. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), viewed among Democrats as the heir apparent to Pelosi, also ran unopposed and won a second term as House Democratic Caucus chairman ...
The biggest contested race is for assistant Speaker. Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the caucus vice chair, and David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the head of the Democrats’ policy and messaging arm, are running to succeed Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who just won election to the Senate. The other competitive race that will be decided this week is for caucus vice chair. That contest pits Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, against Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/526481-democrats-nominate-pelosi-to-keep-speakership
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