WASHINGTON ― After quashing a small revolt in her own caucus around Thanksgiving, Nancy Pelosi reclaimed the House speakership Thursday, becoming the first politician in 58 years to take back the gavel.
Pelosi was elected 220-192, with 12 Democrats voting for someone other than the California Democrat and three voting simply “present.”
Pelosi’s path back to House speaker wasn’t easy. Part of the reason Republicans were able to win back the House majority in 2010 was through a “Fire Pelosi” campaign that made her toxic in some Republican-leaning districts, and Republicans have run on a similar playbook for every election since, including in 2018.
A number of freshman Democrats made promises during the campaign to not support Pelosi if they were elected to Congress, and 10 stood by that vow, voting either “present” or for someone else.
But Pelosi was able to quell a revolt from about a dozen and a half Democrats who were already in Congress. She was able to frame the opposition as misogynist. (Her supporters started the hashtag #FiveWhiteGuys to describe the opposition, even though it wasn’t only white men opposing her and there were more than five.)
She picked off individual members through small promises. (She got the vote of Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio by promising to bring back a subcommittee on elections and make her the chairwoman, and she got Rep. Brian Higgins of New York simply by publishing a statement supporting his Medicare buy-in idea.)
And she swung a large chunk of detractors through a deal where she stated her support of term limits for leadership roles and committee chairmen. (The deal set up Pelosi to not only serve this term as speaker but to serve next term as speaker if Democrats hold onto the House.)
It was a classic demonstration of her skill as a legislator. She outworked her opponents. She wore them down, made it uncomfortable to oppose her, and then offered a carrot for their support. And by giving the smallest concession, Pelosi actually solidified her future position. If she serves the next two terms as the No. 1 Democrat in the House, she will have spent 20 years in that position and practically assured through rule changes that no one else could ever do the same.
