House Democrats Wednesday nominated Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to remain the party’s leader for another two years after the election of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. The vote, which took place via a remote voice vote amid a surge in coronavirus cases, was not in question, as Pelosi was running unopposed for her position and has garnered support from many of her Democratic critics over the past two years.
During the previous secret election, 32 Democrats looking for a change of party leadership opposed Pelosi. Still, her dealings with President Donald Trump earned her praise over the years from all her party sides. In a speech accepting the nomination Wednesday, Pelosi said she would work with the Biden administration on expanding access to health care, strengthening environmental protections, reforming police practices, and addressing the racial divide as it relates to economic well-being, as per The Hill. “The theme, I think, of what we do next has to be about justice,” she said.
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Pelosi still needs to be voted in by a majority of the full House in January. While in 2019, she was opposed by 15 Democrats in the floor vote, she has already won over several of those members. She is expected to win the gavel for another term as the Democrats take over the White House administration.
Wednesday, the caucus reelected two of Pelosi’s top allies, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also ran unopposed and won a second term as House Democratic Caucus chairman. The most contested race is for assistant Speaker, with caucus vice-chair Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and head of the Democrats’ policy and messaging branch, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), running to replace Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Lujรกn (D-N.M.) after his election to the U.S. Senate. The other race to be decided later this week is for caucus vice-chair, which is being campaigned for by Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), who is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair race has been postponed until the week after Thanksgiving to give Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Tony Cรกrdenas (D-Calif.) against each other more time to campaign.
