According to Politico, Democrats met to discuss the future of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi after the disastrous elections many hoped would demonstrate President Donald Trump's weaknesses, but did the opposite instead.
A dozen Democrats, led by Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), discussed whether the hope to retake the House of Representatives from the Republicans would be dashed if Pelosi was still leading their caucus.
“There are many more people today, even from November, who are much more vocal, who have approached us and said, ‘I’m done. We need to move forward and we need to get a new leadership team in place,'” Rice said.
Pelosi had abjured critics by touting her accomplishments Thursday, saying, “Well, I’m a master legislator. I am a strategic, politically astute leader. … My leadership is recognized by many around the country, and that is why I’m able to attract the support that I do, which is essential to our elections.”
“We don’t agonize, we organize,” she concluded.
Rep. Rice disagreed, saying, "There is a consensus, I think, that we can reach in the caucus that allows for a new leadership team to be put in place in a time that’s well before, hopefully, November of next year.”
The talk of ousting Pelosi has come on the heels of their latest defeat in the Georgia special election. Democrats have been hoping that Trump's low favorability polling might manifest itself in some special election victories, but those hopes have been obliterated by a clean sweep in four elections.
The fingers of blame have pointing to Pelosi especially since Karen Handel, who prevailed in the Georgia special election, made it a focus of her campaign to tie Democrat candidate Jon Ossoff to the San Francisco politician. That election was especially painful for liberals as it was the most expensive House race in U.S. history with most of the spending on the Democrat side.
Trump himself mocked the division in the Democrat party with a tweet.
I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out. That would be very bad for the Republican Party - and please let Cryin' Chuck stay!— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1498140948.0
One lawmaker said that the Democratic brand had become "toxic" in many areas of the country, and that it was worse than Trump's brand.