Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has work to do to win a floor vote for the Speakership after winning an initial secret ballot vote on Wednesday, several Democrats opposed to her continued leadership tell Hill.TV.
Pelosi won the Wednesday vote 203-32, with three lawmakers voting present.
She needs to win 218 votes on the floor, meaning she has to pick off some of the Democrats who voted against her on the secret ballot.
Rep. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.), one of the most vocal Democrats opposed to Pelosi, said the vote made it “clear” that she would not have the votes on the floor.
“No it’s clear — this vote is clear that she doesn’t have the votes on the floor. And hopefully we’ll continue the conversation that we started today, see if we can come to some kind of resolution,” she said.
But Pelosi and her allies offered certainty that she would win on the floor vote.
Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), who flipped from being a Pelosi opponent to a supporter last week, said there are more like him in the caucus.
Asked if she could pick up votes in the next few weeks, Higgins said, “easily, there’s a lot of game left. This is the first quarter and she’s got a lot of time.”
He said a number of members have signaled a willingness to deal.
“I know talking with some members who would like to get behind her but are looking for agreements on certain public policy goals that they have, that’s a very reasonable and healthy creative tension right now,” he said.
Rep.-elect Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) insisted he would not vote for Pelosi on the floor.
“What I am sure of is I am not voting for Mrs. Pelosi on the floor – that’s a commitment I made to my constituents – it’s a commitment I’m gonna stick with,” incoming New Jersey Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew told reporters Wednesday.
But it’s possible some opponents of Pelosi could be convinced to vote present on the floor, which would lower the total number of votes she’d need to win.
“Should she not be able to get 218 votes, there are a lot of mechanisms whereby the majority that she would need would be reduced. It’s the majority of the voting members on the floor,” Higgins said.
Van Drew conceded that he wouldn’t rule out voting present.
“I haven’t ruled out anything other than I’m not going to be voting for her,” he said.
Walking out of the closed-door caucus meeting, Pelosi told reporters that everything was “fabulous” before she headed across the street for more meetings to shore up support.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who was elected House Democratic Caucus chairman on Wednesday, said Democrats will unify around Pelosi.
Higgins said that Jeffries could actually help Pelosi’s bid since his election brings a younger lawmaker on to the leadership team.
— Molly K. Hooper
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