Congress

Pelosi elected speaker, likely for the last time

Only five Democrats did not vote for Pelosi, 3 of whom voted 'present'

Speaker Nancy Pelosi displays the speaker's gavel Sunday on the House floor after retaining her position in the 117th Congress. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi displays the speaker's gavel Sunday on the Business firm floor afterwards retaining her position in the 117th Congress. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Posted January 3, 2021 at 5:28pm

The House on Lord's day elected Nancy Pelosi every bit speaker for the 117th Congress, which is expected to exist her terminal term with the gavel.

All but v Democrats voted for Pelosi, the lxxx-year-old Californian who has led the Business firm Democratic Caucus since 2003. Two years ago, Pelosi committed to her caucus that she would non serve as speaker beyond 2022, and after the November election, she publicly affirmed she would adhere to that promise.

[ Pelosi reaffirms that adjacent term equally speaker will be her last ]

Pelosi received a total of 216 votes in Sun'southward flooring vote. She needed 214 votes, which is the majority of members who participated in the election by voting for someone by proper name.

All 209 Republicans who participated in the speaker election voted for Firm Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a surprise show of unity from the GOP given conservative opposition to McCarthy in the past.

The Democrats who did not vote for Pelosi were Jared Golden of Maine, Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.

Golden voted for a fellow veteran, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. (The speaker does non have to be a member of the House.)

Lamb voted for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, who is considered a likely candidate to replace Pelosi later she retires.

Sherrill, Slotkin and Spanberger voted "present."

Just named votes in the speaker election count, so while "present" votes are a grade of protestation, they lowered the overall bulk Pelosi needed to win the speakership.

"I'1000 non supporting the speaker. I'll exist voting 'present,' because no one stepped up to run against her," Slotkin told reporters before the vote.

Slotkin said she spoke with Pelosi most her conclusion — which follows through on a commitment she start made during her 2018 campaign — after the Nov 2020 election.

"Information technology'due south of import to me that I live upward to the commitments I make to my district," the Michigan Democrat said. "And I've been pretty vocal nigh the need for more Midwestern leaders, people who stand for areas like where I'm from. And as well I call up information technology'due south important to be preparation a next generation of leaders."

Slotkin voted "nowadays" two years agone, so her vote was less surprising than Sherrill'southward and Spanberger's. In 2019, they voted for Illinois' Cheri Bustos, who chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Commission at the fourth dimension.

Progressive firebrands Cori Bush of Missouri and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the latter of whom supported Pelosi in 2019, did non vote when their names were chosen during the alphabetical gyre call, leaving some suspense as to whether they were waiting until the cease to see if there was room for them to vote against Pelosi.

Although in that location were exactly two more votes Pelosi could have lost and still been elected, both Bush and Ocasio-Cortez eventually voted for her.

'I am confident'

Pelosi, who often touts her skills equally a vote counter, seemed sure the results would go her style.

"I am confident that the Speaker'south ballot today will show a united Autonomous Caucus ready to run into the challenges ahead," she wrote in a "Beloved Colleague" letter of the alphabet Sunday morn ahead of the vote.

The opposition to Pelosi this Congress was significantly smaller than it was in 2019, when 15 Democrats did non vote for her. While Pelosi did win over some of her previous skeptics, more than Democrats may have defected this year if they could accept washed and so without jeopardizing the results.

The five Democrats who did not vote for Pelosi in 2019 but did in 2021 were: Jim Cooper of Tennessee, Jason Crow of Colorado, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Kathleen Rice of New York and Kurt Schrader of Oregon.

Schrader had told CQ Scroll Call in Nov, every bit he was still because whether to vote for Pelosi, that the speaker's commitment not to serve beyond 2022 was helpful to him and probable would brand a departure for other longtime members who have opposed her previously. Merely for members from swing districts entering their 2nd term, Schrader expected well-nigh would need to vote with their districts. That prediction largely was borne out in the concluding tally.

Iii Democrats who voted confronting Pelosi ii years ago lost reelection in November: Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Ben McAdams of Utah and Max Rose of New York.

Some other previous Pelosi defector, Anthony Brindisi, is trailing in his rematch confronting quondam GOP Rep. Claudia Tenney in New York'south 22nd District. The results have not all the same been certified amongst a recanvassing of the votes.

The other Democrat who voted against Pelosi in 2019 is Jeff Van Drew, who switched to the Republican Party in late 2019, partly over his opposition to the House impeaching President Donald Trump. Van Drew was reelected as a Republican in November and voted for McCarthy on Sunday.

Coronavirus oddities

Democrats starting the 117th Congress with just 222 seats provided Pelosi and her opponents little room to maneuver. The math this year was further complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, since any members sidelined by the virus and unable to attend the proceedings would affect the majority threshold.

Ultimately, nonetheless only 1 Democrat, Florida Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, missed the speaker vote.

Hastings has pancreatic cancer and has not been present in the Capitol for months equally he undergoes treatment. Pelosi put her hand over her centre when the clerk called his name.

Two Republicans, David Valadao of California and María Elvira Salazar of Florida, were non nowadays considering they had tested positive for COVID-19.

Iii others — Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nib., Tim Ryan, D-Ohio and Frederica South. Wilson, D-Fla. — are under quarantine because of COVID-nineteen exposure just accept tested negative. They voted in the speaker ballot from a plexiglass-enclosed area of the House gallery.

The Capitol'southward attending physician, Brian P. Monahan, who made the arrangements for the quarantining members to vote, said in a statement that guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency permit federal essential workers, "in society to ensure continuity of operations of essential functions," to continue work following COVID-nineteen exposure if they're asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented to protect them and others.

"The highest possible safeguards have been implemented including separate, enhanced ventilation in this space and separate belongings facilities for whatever Members utilizing Gallery 4," Monahan said, referring to the office of the bedroom where the quarantining members voted. "This step will only exist necessary until proxy voting resumes as an choice for impacted Members."

Proxy voting will be reauthorized in the House rules packet for the 117th Congress that the bedchamber will consider Mon.

The speaker election lasted nearly iii hours. To provide for social distancing, members came to the floor to vote in groups. At that place were periodic breaks in the voting every bit ane group cleared and another came onto the floor, with nearly taking a seat. Members who were seated stood to cast their votes.