Nancy Pelosi Reelected As House Speaker

On Sunday, Nancy Pelosi received enough votes in the House of Representatives to win a fourth term as House Speaker.

Pelosi is the first woman to be the speaker and led the House from 2006 to 2011, and then again when the Democrats took back the House in 2018.

With a slim lead for Democrats in the House, Pelosi edged out 216 votes to keep her position as speaker. She needed a majority or 214 votes. CNN reports that two Democrats, Jared Golden of Maine and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, cast votes for Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Three Democratic House members voted “present.” Republican leader Kevin McCarthy received 209 votes.

“It gives (me) great pride to serve as speaker of the most diverse House of Representatives in the history of our country,” Pelosi said.

Voting was a little different amid the coronavirus pandemic, with some members voting through a “secure enclosure.” The enclosure was put in place for members exposed to someone who had COVID-19 but had received a negative test themselves. Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin announced last week she had tested positive for the virus and did not receive a negative test before voting. She said she quarantined for 14 days and was following the guidance of the Attending Physician of the United States of Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan.

Before the vote, Pelosi projected confidence in her reelection. On a private call last week, Pelosi told members that her only enemy was coronavirus because the virus could affect the number of members able to vote, according to CNN.