Steny Hoyer: Nancy Pelosi the ‘Most Effective Political Leader’ I Have Worked With

Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is the “most effective” leader he has ever worked with.

Anchor Dana Bash said, “You go back a long way with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. You were interns together in the office of Daniel Brewster in the 1960s.”

Hoyer said, “I think that story doesn’t get enough play. Nancy was sitting in the front office as a receptionist, and I was sitting right behind her in sort of a little divided half wall handling academy appointments, opening mail, doing things that interns do, or part-time employees do. We were there together. Some 40 years later we became the speaker and the majority leader.”

Bash said, “The other story about the Pelosi-Hoyer relationship is that it is a complicated one. You ran against each other for whip in 2001. She endorsed your opponent in your race for leader in 2006. How would you describe that relationship?”

Hoyer said, “I think we have a very respectful relationship. I think we have a business-like relationship, but I like Nancy. I admire Nancy greatly. She is an extraordinary human being. She’s indefatigable. She has extraordinary energy, she has extraordinary memory for what we have done, and a vision of what we ought to do. I think she’s probably the most effective political leader that I’ve worked with over the years. I was obviously disappointed when I was running for majority leader, and she supported my opponent, and pretty strongly so, as you recall. But, of course, I won pretty handily, as you recall.”

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