f{"id":10267,"date":"2018-11-11T12:17:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-11T20:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=10267"},"modified":"2018-11-11T12:17:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-11T20:17:40","slug":"progressive-caucus-wont-say-whether-it-supports-nancy-pelosi-for-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/11\/11\/progressive-caucus-wont-say-whether-it-supports-nancy-pelosi-for-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS WON\u2019T SAY WHETHER IT SUPPORTS NANCY PELOSI FOR SPEAKER"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a><\/div>\n
A\u00edda Ch\u00e1vez<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n


November 8 2018, 6:07\u00a0p.m. (theintercept.com)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER<\/u>\u00a0Nancy Pelosi is confident she will return as speaker when the new Democratic majority takes over in the House, but the leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are not yet saying whether they will support her leadership bid.<\/p>\n

When asked if the caucus supports Pelosi\u2019s leadership bid in a press call on Wednesday, November 7, and if leaders\u00a0will try to convince the incoming members who promised not to support her throughout the midterms to back her anyway, caucus co-chair Mark Pocan said he\u2019s going to keep his options open\u00a0and make sure he\u2019s leveraging his power to assure progressives are well represented in leadership.<\/p>\n

Dozens of Democratic candidates running in tight midterm races voiced their opposition to a Pelosi speakership. Though many of the candidates lost, a handful of incoming members, including Jason Crow of Colorado, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have called for a new generation of leadership. And Pelosi has little room for error: She needs a majority of the full House, or 218 votes, to win the speakership. On Thursday night,\u00a0Politico reported<\/a>\u00a0that at least 10 Democrats had promised to oppose her on the floor, meaning\u00a0that as final ballots\u00a0<\/a>are counted, Pelosi needs the majority to hold at least 228 members.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I would say ditto to that,\u201d said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who serves as vice chair of the caucus. \u201cI\u2019m looking to run to be the next co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, and so I think it\u2019s very important that we talk to our members and that we really make sure that our progressive priorities are going to be represented by our leadership on all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pocan said that the caucus may have some sense of direction by next week. \u201cI know this is the story you\u2019ve all been waiting to write, but I\u2019m going to wait until I get back and talk to members and have an idea of who\u2019s running for what and what spots are open. And hopefully, by next week, we\u2019ll be able to give you better, more specific answers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Congressional Progressive Caucus demurring on Pelosi is a turnabout from her first election as party leader, when she was the clear progressive favorite in a much more conservative caucus.\u00a0The lack of vocal support comes as competing factions within the incoming caucus are jockeying for position.<\/p>\n

Democratic leaders are hoping that the calls on the campaign trail for \u201cnew leadership\u201d won\u2019t be renewed on the House now that campaign season is over. On election night, Rep. Steny Hoyer, the minority whip and Pelosi\u2019s\u00a0No.\u00a02, told The Intercept that he met just last week with incoming Rep.\u00a0Ocasio-Cortez, and that he is comfortable that she will fit in well with the caucus.<\/p>\n