It was a big win for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. House Democrats elected her to remain as their leader and nominated her for speaker.
The vote shows their confidence in her to unite a divided caucus regardless of the losses it took in this month’s election that emboldened congressional Republicans, Bloomberg reported.
Pelosi, 80, will now have to win the majority of votes from the House as a whole to keep her position as Speaker for congress this upcoming 2021 year. Chances are slim for next year’s majority win, making it complicated to secure what is needed to keep her around.
Pelosi, a California Democrat, acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s win in her latest statement to the caucus, which came after her election from the House of Democrat. She now asks for Democrats to work together.
“As we go forward with liberty and justice for all, we must do so, listening to the American people, listening to each other with respect, acting to unify,” Pelosi said. “Joe Biden is a unifier, so that will make it easier for us.”
Democrats 232 lead will shrink to 221 seats out of the 435-seat chamber this coming January, but several races have yet to confirm winners.
The caucus was held virtually and consisted of nomination speeches, candidate statements, and electronic voting—novel procedures set in place to lessen the spread of the coronavirus.
This may be the last term that Pelosi, who is also the only woman to ever serve as the House speaker. Although she declined to address the possibility, she did say, “We never expected to have another term now. I consider this a gift.”
“I can’t wait to be working with Joe Biden and preparing us for our transition into the future,” Pelosi said. “But I don’t want to undermine any leverage I may have.” Democrats took control of the House in 2018, and Pelosi vowed to only remain as speaker until 2022. This was to give younger democrats a chance after voicing their opinions on generational change.
