A survey of 20 Democrats running for a House seat in the 2018 midterm election revealed only one vowed support for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) if elected.
“Nancy Pelosi might actually be in trouble,” the Sacramento Bee reported last week.
The Bee reported that 18 of the 20 would not say if Pelosi should keep her job, while one said he would vote for someone else for the leadership position in the House.
Only one candidate — a former Senate staffer from Orange County, California — said he would support Pelosi, according to the Bee.
“Their refusal is a remarkable development for an already embattled minority leader, even if other congressional leaders, like Republicans House Speaker Paul Ryan or Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, are similarly unpopular in polls,” the Bee reported.
Democrats feel they will have traction to win back the House because of what they see as the “deep disapproval” of President Donald Trump. But Pelosi is also unpopular and is blamed by some for the many Democratic losses in recent House races.
“We are overdue for a new generation of leadership,” said Kenneth Harbaugh, a candidate in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District and the only candidate who said he wouldn’t support Pelosi.
“We have a remarkable opportunity in front of us, and it’s going to take new thinking and new leadership to capitalize on it,” Harbaugh said.
The Bee reported that a Pelosi aide dismissed the survey’s findings.
“Candidates across the country are focused on issues that matter to their constituents, such as better jobs and better wages, not the latest Beltway gossip,” Jorge Aguilar, a spokesman for Pelosi’s campaign, said. “Leader Pelosi has the overwhelming backing of the House Democratic Caucus because she continues to unify Democrats in our battle to defeat Trumpcare.”
Republicans hope to make the most of the debate on Pelosi and the future of Democrats in the House.
“Democratic candidates and their ties to Nancy Pelosi will be an issue in every single competitive race next fall,” Matt Gorman, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee,” said. “Whether or not they claim to vote for her as speaker, they’ll be another vote for her and her big-spending policies in congress.”
“Only one Democratic candidate contacted said he would support Pelosi — Kia Hamadanchy, running in California’s 45th Congressional District,” the Bee reported.
The Bee noted that current House Speaker Ryan is as unpopular as Pelosi, polls show. A May survey from Quinnipiac found 54 percent of voters had an unfavorable view of him, compared to just 27 percent who had a positive opinion.
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