Samuel Case, FISM News
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing pushback from her own party as she attempts to retain her position as Speaker of the House. Two incoming progressive Democrats, Jamal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, have refused to say if they would support Pelosi’s fourth term as Speaker.
Both future legislatures dodged the question from CNN’s Dana Bash saying they would consult with their own jurisdictions before coming to a conclusion. Bush told Bash her priorities are to “make sure that the voices of the people of St. Louis are heard,” and similarly Bowman said he’s “organizing with our community to figure out what’s best.”
Pelosi has struggled to draw support from the new far left members of the party. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, who represents much of the parties most progressive wing, told the Intercept earlier this month that the Democratic Party needs “new leadership,” but lamented that there currently is no one to fill the power gap if Pelosi leaves. Currently Pelosi is unchallenged for the position.
While progressives are taking aim at Pelosi, she is also drawing fire from more moderate Democrats who blame her for the devastating number of House seats lost to Republicans in November.
In a November 5th phone call House Democrats directly confronted Pelosi for being too progressive. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who won by a close margin, called this election cycle “a failure” and said, “Nobody should be talking about socialism.” She warned that if the party continues to pander to the far left, they will be “torn apart” in 2022.