House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is praising some younger Democrats who have challenged aging Democratic leadership.
Following the 2022 midterm elections and Democrats’ narrowly losing control of the House, Pelosi announced she would not seek the speakership again in order to give room to the younger generation of House representatives. In an interview with the Catholic National Reporter, Pelosi expressed her support for younger members who are running for leadership roles.
“I’m supporting the newer members who are running for office,” said Pelosi.
“This is with all the respect in the world for the chairmen who had been there and the contribution that they had made over time. But now others have come forward,” she said. “I respect the fact that they’re ready to take charge of their committees, and I support that.”
Pelosi has remained close with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who succeeded her spot as the top Democrat in the House.
Her response here is a reversal of her previous approach in which she defended and vocally supported seniority.
Pelosi’s remarks come just days after Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) challenged his friend, longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), to lead Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.
In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s win last month, some Democrats are looking for new voices to take on Trump a second time around. In a letter to his colleagues, Raskin said he made the decision to challenge Nadler, who has led the committee since 2019, because “the stakes have gone way up since the election.”
Following the challenge, Nadler said he would not seek the seat again and would support Raskin’s bid. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is viewed as a possible successor to Raskin’s post as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) to lead the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. Crockett is an outspoken critic of Trump and his GOP allies who frequently makes headlines for her fiery remarks.
Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Angie Craig (D-MN) are challenging Rep. David Scott (D-GA), the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, as Scott has faced health setbacks in recent months. Scott, unlike Nadler, vowed to fight to keep the position as recently as Tuesday, saying he would not bow down and, “It’s all in God’s hands.”
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), after a looming challenge from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), said he would step aside from the leadership post, like Scott, citing his poor health.
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Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), who was elected Progressive Caucus chairman last week, cited Raskin’s ascent to ranking member of the Oversight Committee last year as reason to believe there is a trend of challenging seniority.
“I think that what the Democratic caucus is starting to recognize is that we need to change. We can, and that can sometimes mean changing the person in the role, or it could also just mean changing the way that we do things,” he said. “And I think we need to change and show people, show voters that we are willing to fight tooth and nail for them.”