Pelosi declines to say if she’ll remain as speaker following election

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday declined to say if she will remain in House leadership following next month’s elections when pressed by CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan.

“I’m not talking about that,” Pelosi said. “I’m here to talk about how we win the election.”

The 82-year-old had promised to bow out as the top House Democrat at the end of this term, but if the party defies expectations and maintains their majority in the chamber, some lawmakers have said Pelosi may remain in power.

Pelosi twice declined to publicly lay out her intentions on CBS.

“So you may or you may not,” Brennan followed up at one point during the exchange. 

“I’m not here to talk about me,” Pelosi responded. “I’m here to talk about the future. America’s working families. For the children. It’s always about the children.”

Questions about Pelosi’s future have bubbled up again after the Speaker last week noted a need for “generational change” in the party while suggesting in some situations there is “no substitute for experience.”

Pelosi serves as a prolific fundraiser for Democrats and maintains a reputation for wrangling rank-and-file members on tough votes to maintain party unity, but some Democrats have voiced frustrations with their octogenarian congressional leadership.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the No. 2 House Democrat, is 83 years old, and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the No. 3 in the conference, is 82.

Some Democrats have also indicated they don’t want President Biden, 79, to run again in 2024. Biden was the oldest president to be sworn into that office.

“It’s time for generational diversity in our senior leadership ranks, both in the executive branch, and the legislative branch,” said Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.). “Plain and simple.”

Pelosi on Sunday expressed confidence that Democrats would retain their razor-thin majority in the House.

Polling has shown that quest is an uphill battle, with most pundits expecting Republicans to gain at least 218 seats in November’s midterm elections, now just 16 days away.

“We feel very confident,” said Pelosi. “I’ve been in over 20 states since Congress adjourned in the last month or so. And I see very clearly that the ownership of the ground is with us. It’s about getting out the vote.”