CNN’s Raju: Pelosi Has an ‘Iron Fist,’ But There’s Still ‘More Unrest’ Among House Dems Than ‘In a Long Time’

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On Friday’s broadcast of PBS’ “Washington Week,” CNN Senior Political Reporter Manu Raju stated that even though House Minority Leader Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has ruled her caucus with “an iron fist” for over a decade, there is “more unrest within the Democratic Caucus in the House than there has been in a long time.”

Raju said Pelosi “has a lot of loyalty within that Democratic Caucus. She has ruled it with an iron fist since 2003. She’s raised a ton of money for these members. There is a — and she’s very progressive, and this is a very progressive caucus, so a lot of them want to stick with her, and they like her a lot and they trust her.”

He continued, “On the other hand, she did lose 63 votes. That is significant, because the last time she hit a significant challenge, or a challenge, 2010, she lost 43 votes. There are 20 more members who are defecting. There’s a more outspoken — more unrest within the Democratic Caucus in the House than there has been in a long time. That’s going to be — it’s a real warning sign for her, going forward, and it’s giving a platform to the more moderates, Rust Belt-type Democrats, but also some others, too. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), a congresswoman, member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting [Represnetative] Tim Ryan (D-OH). And the current — the incoming chairman of the CBC, [Representative] Cedric Richmond (D-LA), would not say if he voted for Nancy Pelosi. So, there is a lot of concern about her leadership going forward. So, she has made some changes to showcase she’s going to be more inclusive, bring more members in. But what does she do differently? It’s hard to know for right now.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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