Centrist Democrats Say Pelosi Needs to Go After Poor Election Results

Supposedly centrist Democrats who are unhappy with the results of the 2020 election in the House are plotting a coup against Nancy Pelosi. They spoke to the Hill about their plan to get rid of Nancy Pelosi,

Stung by their party’s dispiriting showing at the polls Tuesday, two moderate House Democrats say they and other centrists are privately discussing a plan that was unthinkable just 24 hours earlier: throwing their support behind a challenger to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The two Democrats told The Hill on Wednesday that they were reaching out to their colleagues about backing one of Pelosi’s top lieutenants, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), for Speaker in the next Congress.

“He’s the only one prepared and positioned” to be Speaker, said one of the Democratic lawmakers. “He bridges moderates and progressives better than anyone. And most importantly, he’s not Nancy Pelosi.”

The idea was immediately shot down by Jeffries, who says he’s focused on keeping his current spot. Yet the grumbling reflects a remarkable shift in internal Democratic thinking in the immediate wake of Tuesday’s elections.

Having seen all of this play out on the Republican side, the denial of Hakeem Jeffries means nothing. He’s biding his time and counting the number of Democrats privately telling him that they will support him over Pelosi. If he thinks he can win, he’ll go for it. If not, then he’ll publicly talk about how wonderful Nancy Pelosi is as he builds his support for a takeover behind the scenes. 

It’s understandable that “centrist” Democrats would want to get rid of Pelosi. Despite the fact that she’s a fundraising machine, her San Francisco sensibilities are far to the left of the rest of the country. She’s also unlikable, not charismatic and she’s the picture-perfect representative of an elitist, DC insider. If you are looking to run in a swing district, the left-wing craziness that surrounds Pelosi is an anchor around your neck.

Although there are a lot of races yet to be called, Democrats expected to pick up a significant number of seats last night. That didn’t happen. In fact, Republicans are poised to make some significant gains. The count in the House going into this election was 232 for the Democrats and 197 seats for the Republicans. Currently, it’s 203 seats for the Democrats, 188 seats for the Republicans with 36 seats still too close to call.

Republicans defied the odds and grew our party last night. In districts all across the country, Americans rejected socialism and voted for freedom.

Nancy Pelosi: you've been put on notice.

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) November 4, 2020

Would the Democrats be better off if they got rid of Pelosi and replaced her with a fresh face who could drag the House more to the middle and PRETEND to be a moderate? Absolutely. That’s why, as a conservative, I believe the Democrats should absolutely stick with Nancy Pelosi until she finally retires to make coats for herself out of Dalmations or whatever it is women like her do in their spare time.

John Hawkins is the author of 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know. You can find him on Parler here & Twitter here.