Republicans Are PUMPED Nancy Pelosi Won Her Leadership Race

WASHINGTON ― House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was re-elected to her leadership post Wednesday morning.

The challenger, seven time lawmaker, Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) was very encouraged by the support he received from members of the Democratic establishment. With many Democrats publicly calling for change within the party since Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s defeat, many are wondering how Pelosi managed to retain her long-held role.

After the vote, Ryan congratulated Pelosi, the 76-year old who’s led the House Democratic caucus for the past 14 years.

She won the Democratic caucus vote by a wide margin.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy – who told reporters Tuesday her continuation of past policies, like keeping the current staff at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in place after the party’s devastating election results November 8, would only further her party’s losing streak – congratulated his Democratic colleague on her win.

Ryan, flanked by his public supporters including Bay State U.S. Reps.

“At the end of the day I believe we need stable leadership and with the impending Trump administration Democrats need to be united and we need a true strategist at the helm”, he said, saying Pelosi has “held the Democratic caucus together”.

While some Democrats have grumbled about their leadership growing stale – Pelosi and her two top deputies are all in their 70s and she has led the caucus for more than a decade – Ryan, her seven-term opponent from OH, has no experience as a leader in Congress.

And she insisted Democrats would rebound. “We know how to win elections. We will do it again by making that differentiation”.

Ryan, who earned 20 more votes than former Rep. Heath Schuler when he challenged Pelosi in 2010, said he was “disappointed” by the outcome but that his push for the party to adopt a new message, and a new messenger, resonated. The same people have been running the caucus for years ― Pelosi, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (S.C.) ― and they’re all in their 70s now.

“We need someone who is battle-tested”, Rep.

A half-dozen Democratic lawmakers delivered testimonials to Pelosi in nominating speeches, but not all were supportive. He added that he was happy his leadership bid prompted “tough family discussions”.

He also pointed out that Democrats had lost 60 seats since the high water mark of Mrs. Pelosi’s tenure, which started in 2003. “Our prospects have improved just because of this conversation”. That included delaying the leadership elections themselves to give members time to work through the election results and creating more lower-level leadership positions to give younger members chances for advancement. Her energetic fundraising and ceaseless campaign travels have endeared her to a number of colleagues, muting complaints about some of her leadership decisions. “So it us now up to me and others who want that change to find other ways to address the historic opportunities and challenges our country now faces”, O’Rourke said Wednesday.

Pelosi has earned respect and loyalty from many Democrats over the years, including as a powerhouse fundraiser, raising over $140 million for Democrats in the 2016 cycle, and as a skilled legislative tactician. This patronage system has helped Mrs. Pelosi build support among the Congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses, which will make up an estimated 70 of the 194 Democrats seats next year.

Rep. Pelosi had faced numerous challenges with many of her party insider vowing that this would be her last term as their leader.

Some House Democrats did not hide their disappointment at the outcome.

And Pelosi disputed the suggestion that she might be concerned about the defections she suffered.