Nancy Pelosi is upsetting some Democratic lawmakers who are hoping she yields more power to younger party leaders, a new report reveals.
Pelosi has been on a press tour in recent days, explaining why she think Democrats lost the White House and their majority in the Senate on Election Day. Just days after Kamala Harris lost the election, the former speaker suggested President Joe Biden should have dropped out of the race sooner to facilitate a proper primary process.
"Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race," she told The New York Times. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary.”
Pelosi also reportedly played a key role in pressuring Biden to exit the race after his poor performance in a debate against Donald Trump. Despite these rumors, Pelosi claimed in August that she “did not call one person” and did not lead a pressure campaign against him.
Now, Democratic lawmakers tell Axios they want the 84-year-old to step out of the spotlight and let younger leaders, like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, take the reigns.
"Hakeem has been tremendously graceful and respectful of her, but I don’t think she is being respectful of him," an unnamed member of the Congressional Black Caucus told Axios.
"I understand that this is a difficult transition for her, not being the leader, but she is not," the unnamed Congressional Black Caucus member added. "She needs to understand what her new role is.”
"She needs to take a seat," another unnamed Democratic lawmaker told Axios. “Making scattershot comments is not just unhelpful, it’s damaging.”
A spokesperson for the former speaker told Axios she is “immensely proud of Leader Hakeem Jeffries.”
"We all should praise the excellent progress made by House Democrats under his leadership,” the spokesperson said.
The party is already gearing up for the 2028 race.
Democratic National Committee members are preparing to draft a new order of states for the 2028 presidential primary, NBC News reports. Meanwhile, several Democrats are also already looking ahead to the 2028 primary as the party tries to rebuild after a devastating loss to President-elect Donald Trump.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are all names that are considered to be in the mix.
