Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) understands most voters are more concerned about “kitchen table issues” than how the presidential transition will happen in 2025.
Pelosi wants Democrats to gain the majority in the House so that the certification of the Electoral College goes smoothly next year, but she said officials need to run on what is most important to voters.
“We have to win for a lot of reasons,” Pelosi told the Washington Post. “We have to win for the integrity of our electoral system. We have to win to save Social Security, Medicare, all of that. To save the Affordable Care Act, to protect the planet, to save our democracy, to protect our children from gun violence.”
“There are many reasons why we need to win the election,” Pelosi continued. “I would hope that there will be some integrity on their side. But nonetheless, we have to win.”
The former speaker doesn’t believe Republicans will “engage in what they did last time” if President Joe Biden wins reelection, but she also pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris as a bulwark against any effort by Republicans to negate the election results.
“Remember, we will have the vice president that day,” Pelosi said. “So that’s a safeguard, but we’re always hopeful that patriotism, integrity, commitment to the Constitution will prevail.”
As for Pelosi’s “kitchen table issues,” there’s evidence voters do care about some of them, particularly Social Security. Democrats have accused former President Donald Trump of wanting to cut Social Security benefits, and Trump hinted at it himself before saying he would not do anything to “jeopardize” the program or Medicare.
A 2023 poll saw that 79% of people oppose reducing the size of Social Security benefits, and 67% are against raising monthly premiums for Medicare. The survey indicates that cutting the program would be highly unpopular, and Pelosi has framed the GOP as wanting to cut Social Security in the past.
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Republicans hold a 218-213 majority in the House, and Democrats hold a de facto 51-49 majority in the Senate with four independents who caucus with the party.
The GOP appears favored to retain the House majority, needing to capture wins in about eight of the 22 toss-up races listed by Cook Political Report to get to 218 seats, as 210 seats are “lean,” “likely,” or “solid” Republican. In the Senate, Republicans have a favorable map as they don’t have to defend any competitive seats in November.