Pelosi Poised To Be Reelected Speaker, But Slimmer Majority Makes It Tight

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lead a tighter majority this congressional session after the Democrats lost seats in the November election.





Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images



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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images



Elections
5 Lessons Democrats Can Learn From The 2020 Elections

Democrats have groused among themselves about the causes of the losses in 2020. One complaint has been that the party’s failure to repudiate issues said to be perceived by voters as extreme, such as «defund the police, hurt it with the moderate voters it sought amid the broader presidential election.

The most liberal members, including New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, reject the idea that Democrats’ messaging tacked too far left. Managing the tension between the two sides will be a big challenge as Pelosi continues her stewardship of the majority.

The game has changed

Much of the speaker’s workload will shift, however, from resisting a Republican administration to helping advance the goals of her fellow Democrat, President-elect Joe Biden. Pelosi likely will work every opportunity available to help pass Biden’s agenda, including more coronavirus relief legislation.

But the immediate focus in Washington and national politics has shifted to the Senate, control of which is up for grabs depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s runoff elections in Georgia. If Republicans preserve their majority in the upper chamber, they’ll likely prevent Biden and Pelosi from achieving many of their aims.

Although it is seen as a less likely outcome, if Democrats win the Georgia races and give the party a slim majority in the Senate, the whole ballgame will change, and Pelosi will march into her new term as speaker with far greater power.