“She is very conscious. If Nancy can do anything, it is that she knows how to count. She counts every vote,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, said. “She is very much aware of the fact that with a slim majority – with some members voting against her two years ago – there will have to be an attempt to convince them that it was then and it is now. We can not affordable. to have uncertainty about the speakers. ‘
Pelosi’s office on Monday sent requests to chiefs of staff in Democratic offices across the Hill and asked if their bosses would be physically present for the vote. To win the speakership, a member must receive at least 50% of the votes plus one. All members who vote must be in DC in person, because the vote for the speaker will take place before the House goes through its rule package that contains the provisions that Democrats can vote on for months by proxy.
Michigan Representative Elissa Slotkin and Maine Representative Jared Golden said they have no plans to vote for Pelosi. A handful of other moderate Democrats, including Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger and a few progressives – including Missouri MP Cori Bush and New York Jamaal Bowman – declined to say how they would vote. One Democratic Member – Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin – announced that she tested positive for Covid earlier this week, and Pelosi’s deputies are also concerned that other members may be absent due to underlying health issues.
But Pelosi’s allies stressed that she was confident she would easily win the vote on the floor. Pelosi told reporters on Monday: “I’m doing well, and members who spoke to the speaker recently said she was confident she would be re-elected.
Pelosi told her members earlier this week that her only enemy was in the fight for speaker Covid, according to several sources familiar with it, as it could affect the number of members who could come to Washington and vote. While there is nothing that explicitly prevents members from voting when they are ill, optics is a completely different matter.
While Pelosi has a small margin for error, her allies have warned that the speaker has a wealth of tools at their disposal to get votes, including a massive fundraiser, committee allocations and legislation she can address.
“She is one of the few, clear leaders who can provide cohesion and leadership for the Democratic majority,” Connolly said. “I think she’s in a strong position about this, but is clearly aware of challenges she faces in terms of numbers and the uncertainty of coronavirus.”
This story was updated on Tuesday with additional developments.