In a move described as a direct shot at Nancy Pelosi, some Democrats are trying to make it more difficult for one of their own to become speaker of the House.
At least 10 Democrats in the lower chamber have signed onto a letter to Caucus Chair Joe Crowley seeking a change to caucus rules that would raise the number of votes required to nominate a candidate for speaker. Current rules mandate that a nominee receive support from only a simple majority of caucus members before advancing to the floor for a vote. The letter requests that threshold be changed to 218, a majority of the House.
That’ll put House Democrats in the potentially awkward position of taking sides in the brewing leadership fight. With many Democratic activists and candidates pushing for a change at the top, incumbents have largely tried to avoid declaring their position on Pelosi ahead of the midterm elections. Current rules have promised some level of comfort to Democrats in more conservative districts, who can score political points by voting against her in caucus elections with the knowledge she’d beat a Republican candidate once her nomination reached the House floor.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/09/nancy-pelosi-house-democrats/570781/
At least 10 Democrats in the lower chamber have signed onto a letter to Caucus Chair Joe Crowley seeking a change to caucus rules that would raise the number of votes required to nominate a candidate for speaker. Current rules mandate that a nominee receive support from only a simple majority of caucus members before advancing to the floor for a vote. The letter requests that threshold be changed to 218, a majority of the House.
That’ll put House Democrats in the potentially awkward position of taking sides in the brewing leadership fight. With many Democratic activists and candidates pushing for a change at the top, incumbents have largely tried to avoid declaring their position on Pelosi ahead of the midterm elections. Current rules have promised some level of comfort to Democrats in more conservative districts, who can score political points by voting against her in caucus elections with the knowledge she’d beat a Republican candidate once her nomination reached the House floor.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/09/nancy-pelosi-house-democrats/570781/