Laura Barron-Lopez of the Washington Examiner assesses the current state of infighting within Democrats’ congressional ranks.
Insurgent Democrats are struggling to keep their campaign to oust Nancy Pelosi afloat.
Those opposing Pelosi’s bid to become House speaker again put themselves back in the spotlight Monday, by adding new lawmakers to their ranks. But Pelosi continues to outmaneuver her critics — she’s peeled off two defectors over the last several days, and has weakened the already volatile campaign to deny her the speaker’s gavel in January.
Pelosi has more than a month to squash the uprising by rebel Democrats and the momentum is on her side. In a sign that defectors might be softening, Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton signaled Monday that he wants to sit down with Pelosi to discuss a possible deal.
Moulton and other incumbent Democrats in safe seats who oppose Pelosi could be prepared to vote for her if she agrees to only serve for one year, according to an aide close to detractors. While it’s a concession the Californian is unlikely to entertain, it’s also a signal that Pelosi has the rebels on their heels.
Pelosi has called herself a “transitional” leader but won’t provide more details about how long that transition might last, arguing that doing so could make her a lame-duck speaker. Moulton said Monday that rebels need to see a way past the old leadership team.