Rep. Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she is confident she will grab the floor votes she needs to regain the speaker’s gavel, brushing aside rebel Democrats who griped over the lack of a clear transition plan to a new leader down the road.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” she told reporters after Rep. Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts nominated her for speaker in a closed-door caucus meeting.
She easily grabbed the majority support she needed within the caucus, but the real test is Jan. 3, when she will need 218 votes from the full House if everyone is present and voting.
She still has some work to do to sway core holdouts trying to stymie her and create an opening for challengers. Thirty-two Democrats voted against her nomination in caucus, though on a secret ballot.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, a key opponent from New York, said she and Reps. Tim Ryan and Seth Moulton plan to oppose Mrs. Pelosi because their request for a transition plan was “dismissed outright.”
Mrs. Pelosi waved off the opposition in a beaming news conference, pointing to the “scores” of other members who’ve backed her.
She’s already looking forward to serving as a key dealmaker and check on President Trump.
She said she expects Mr. Trump to treat her with the same respect George W. Bush showed her at the start of her last speakership, from 2007 to 2011.
“I would expect nothing less than that from this president of the United States,” she said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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