With Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives, a new speaker will be stepping up and taking the gavel.  Just a day ago, Pelosi, running unopposed, won the Democratic nomination to become Speaker of the House. In the secret ballot she received 203 votes with 32 opposing her nomination. In January she will need 213 votes to become speaker, so she has some work to do in winning over some of those ‘no’ votes. Most observers believe that Nancy Pelosi will once again prevail in her role as leader of the caucus. She has led House Democrats since 2007, when she became the first woman Speaker of the House. Her bid for the role has been in question. She has faced challengers before and come out on top. Most recently, in 2016, she defeated Ohio Democratic Representative Tim Ryan in the role of minority leader. With that being said, the opposition to her winning Speaker are more tangible and seem to be more of a threat than ever before. Pelosi has always been a boogeyman figure on the right, but she is now facing criticism from members in her own party. Many Democrats believe that new leadership is needed, and it is time for someone new to take the reins. A critique from the left is that while she has led House Democrats, she has seen substantial losses in the 2010 and 2016 elections. Many new and younger members have voiced a desire for new leadership, some even running on the pledge not to support her for Speaker in their 2018 campaigns. Pelosi’s supporters will point to the fact that Democrats won big in 2018 and that she is one of the best fundraisers in politics. Critics will say that the reason Democrats won big this cycle is not necessarily because of her, but because of the toxicity of President Trump and Republican party. The Presidents party is never favored in an off-year midterm election. Some people have claimed that there is an underlying sexism in the calls for Pelosi to be replaced. 

Virtually no one is calling to replace Chuck Schumer in Senate leadership. Schumer has seen substantial losses in the Senate and compared to the Democratic base, he is far to the right. Chuck Schumer has been completely ineffective against Trump and the Republicans, even enabling them in many ways. He stood aside as centrist Democrats voted for bank deregulation and thus, putting the economy and livelihoods of Americans at risk. He was no fan of the Obama era Iran Deal, which he voted against in 2015, and barely put up a fight when Trump singled that he was going to pull out of the deal. In regard to Israel and Palestine, he is very far to the right of the Democratic base. He even celebrated the American embassy move to Jerusalem. The media and many in the party are not calling for new leadership in the Senate. With new leadership in the House needed, then it is also needed in the Senate. If Pelosi is to be replaced, who should replace her?

A few freshman members of Congress have voiced support for a new leader, but they have not put forth any names of who her replacement should be. The role of speaker is very complex, so a freshman or newer member is probably not the best idea. Also, the few names floated to replace her are man and Democrats to the right of her. This is not a good idea for a party that is increasingly moving to the left, and the optics of a group of men coalescing to unseat a woman is not good for a party that just elected record numbers of new women to Congress. Something else to remember is the time from now until the 2020 presidential election is crucial for the party. Everything the Democratic party does between now and then will either kill their chances to take back the White House or aid in their success. An effective speaker and legislation to energize the base will be pivotal. One name that has been briefly floated by the more progressive wing of the party is Barbara Lee of California. She has been a member of the House since 1998 so she has plenty of experience in the workings of House politics. Most importantly she is very exciting for the Democratic base. She was the only member of the House to vote against the use of force in Iraq after 9/11, and routinely advocates for the repeal of the 2001 War Authorization Act. Also, there has never been an African American Speaker of the House and many Democrats have complained that black House members have been practically locked out of leadership roles. Black women are the most loyal demographic of the Democratic base, with a whopping 94% supporting Clinton in the 2016 election. Our Congressional leadership should look like the country that it represents. The Democratic party is supposed to be the party of inclusion. Instead of taking a loyal voting block for granted, party leadership needs to step it up and actually be the party that it claims to be. Change is indeed needed in the role of speaker and much of the House leadership, I just don’t know if now is the right time with 2020 looming in the not so distant future. Is a viable option available? Is a progressive champion ready and willing to take on the difficult job of uniting the party in the only part of the federal government Democratically controlled?

While anything can happen between now and January, Pelosi’s chances look good. She has loyal members with whom she has formed strong alliances with in the 10 years she has been the Democratic leader. One thing is for sure,  Nancy Pelosi isn’t going down without a fight.