A small group of House Democrats have signed a letter calling for a rule change that would make it tougher for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to win a leadership contest.
The 11 Democrats signing the letter want to change rules to require that the party’s leader need to win the support of 218 Democrats or a majority of the House, and not just the Democratic caucus, according to multiple reports.
CBS News obtained a letter signed by 11 House Democrats that calls for the change.
It is almost certain to fail, but points to a degree of unrest within the Democratic caucus, where a number of members and nominees for House seats have not committed to backing Pelosi for Speaker.
It adopted, the change would only take effect if Democrats won a majority of the House.
A senior Democratic aide criticized the proposal, arguing it was the last thing Democrats needed to do ahead of a midterm election where they could secure control of the House. The aide also predicted the effort would be overwhelmingly defeated, and that its timing was ill-considered since a potentially large freshman class would not get to vote on the rule change.
{mosads}CBS reported that among the 11 Democrats who signed the letter are Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio), Seth Moulton (Mass.), Ed Perlmutter (Colo.), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) and Brian Higgins (N.Y.), nearly all of whom have voiced concerns about Pelosi’s potential role as Speaker.
The requested change was first reported by The Atlantic, which wrote that the proposed change will be voted on next week.
Democrats need to gain 23 seats in November to regain control of the House.
Pelosi’s future as leader of the Democratic Party in the House has served as a crux of this year’s elections. Republicans have sought to tie her to House candidates around the country, while several members of her own party have voiced a desire to see new leadership.
Pelosi has repeatedly downplayed questions about whether she would be elected Speaker should her party control the House, telling reporters that she’s focused on the midterm elections.