Politics
- Many Democratic candidates have distanced themselves from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in efforts to unseat Republicans in 2018.
- Republicans have used Pelosi as a boogeyman for years - and the prospect of that coming to an end terrifies them.
WASHINGTON - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is a favorite target for Republican candidates and groups to go after when they want to paint their opponents as out of touch, elitist, or excessively liberal - but her fundraising prowess still proves a massive benefit to Democrats.
While Pelosi has remained adamant that she will stay on as leader and shrugged off the handful of Democratic candidates across the US who have distanced themselves from her, the possibility that she would step down to assume a purely fundraising role is a prospect that terrifies Republicans.
Because it would leave Republicans without their boogeyman, one GOP operative mused that the chances of retaining their majority in the House would entirely evaporate if Pelosi threw in the towel to focus on fundraising.
And a Republican strategist told Business Insider that the prospect of Pelosi leaving would cause tremendous concern throughout GOP campaigns who use her polarizing status as a pillar of their attack ads.
But dealing with a Democratic caucus where divided factions would all want their own to take the top spot could prove to be difficult, decreasing the likelihood of a leadership change.
There are several Democrats waiting in line to become leader when Pelosi's tenure comes to an end. Reps. Joe Crowley and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and others have all mused the big job promotion in one way or another. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio unsuccessfully challenged Pelosi last year, but has since warmed up to her.
And a Pelosi departure before the November elections could prove to be difficult. If Democrats could not unify around a new leader right away, it could keep the focus on Pelosi.
"It's impossible to see her leaving or her stepping down without Representatives Hoyer and Clyburn promising now to run, which it's tough to imagine them doing," a former senior Republican aide told Business Insider. "A contentious leadership election in the midterm year would be a devastating distraction. And failing to have that leadership election in the election year simply keeps all the focus on Pelosi."
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes told Business Insider earlier in March that Democrats will need breathing room to break with party orthodoxy, like Rep. Elect Conor Lamb did in Pennsylvania by running ads distancing himself from Pelosi.
"I think Democrats' first command has to be first do no harm," Himes said. "Guys like Conor Lamb in districts that the president won by 20 points are gonna need room to say some things that in a place like Fairfield County, Connecticut would be problematic with the ... base."
But that prospect might be far off, even if it is something some Democrats would like to see happen.
Democrats across the country are distancing themselves from Pelosi
Pelosi herself maintains that she has "a strong following in the country" by citing Democratic candidates who have opposed her and failed in their primary races.
But that just is not the case across the country. A recent survey by the San Jose Mercury News of 34 Democratic candidates across competitive GOP-held races in California found that only two were willing to publicly commit to backing Pelosi as leader if elected.
Elsewhere, nearly a dozen Democratic candidates have already attempted to distance themselves from Pelosi, according to an analysis by NBC News.
Regardless of whether Pelosi stays or goes, she is a simultaneous burden and boon to Democrats. While she was the subject of countless attack ads from Republicans, Pelosi hauled in nearly $50 million for the Democrats last year, an unrivaled number even compared to her counterpart in House Speaker Paul Ryan, who brought in $44 million in 2017.