OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is “expected” to retire after the 2022 midterm elections.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that rumors are swirling about Pelosi’s next moves amid projections the Republican Party is poised to regain control of the House in November, WaPo reported.
These rumors have become so loud that apparently Democrats already have several successors in mind to potentially replace Pelosi.
“Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) is the early favorite to become the next Democratic leader, but the maneuvering for power has just begun,” the publication reported, also mentioning as potential candidates Rep. Ro Khanna, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip James Clyburn.
“I think we want leadership that bridges some of the different ideological wings of the party, that is committed to listening to all of the perspectives, that will be capable of helping move the Senate or things that have stalled in the House,” Khanna told the Post. “But whoever it is, I hope they would adopt progressive positions and also listen to the broad caucus and build consensus.”
“I think there was a ‘holding of power’ model that worked very well for a long time, and I think now it is more about a recognition of different centers of focus within the Democratic caucus that have to be brought in and brought together,” Jayapal told the Post. “It takes some acceptance of more-decentralized leadership.”
Fox News host Maria Bartiromo reported back in October that Pelosi may be planning to step down.
During a segment on Fox, Bartiromo said that sources had told her that Pelosi is stepping down after Democrats pass Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
“First, this morning is exclusive, sources tell Sunday Morning Futures there is speculation swirling in Washington that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may step down after getting the massive spending package through,” she said.
“So all those Democrat members who had their arms twisted to vote on the multitrillion-dollar package and put their own reelection in jeopardy may be fuming to learn that the speaker could be planning a cut and run,” she added.
WATCH:
Maria Bartiromo is reporting that Nancy Pelosi may step down soon. pic.twitter.com/fc4OEKMSio
— Hunting Wolf In PA (@SlayerWolf11) October 17, 2021
Back in July, a report from The Atlantic claimed that Pelosi will be stepping down as Speaker “in the not-so-distant future.”
“Sometime in the not-so-distant future, probably after next year’s midterm elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will announce that she’s stepping down,” it said.
“Her top deputies… aspire to her job, but they’re also in their early 80s, and most Democrats in and out of Congress are counting on them to step aside too. Of course, they all have stock responses denying that anyone is ever going anywhere,” The Atlantic said. “But the day is coming.”
“Democratic members of Congress won’t talk about any of this publicly, as if Pelosi might suddenly appear and pull their hearts from their chests,” it said.
The Atlantic claimed that New York Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries could be the next House Speaker if Democrats retain control of the U.S. House next year.
“Pretty much every Democrat in Congress and beyond is confident that Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York will be the next speaker of the House if Democrats manage to hold on to their majority next year,” the report added.
Soon after the report came out, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich shredded Pelosi, calling her a “dictator” with “no respect for the rule of law.”
During an interview on “The Cats Roundtable” radio show, Gingrich told host John Catsimatidis that Pelosi is becoming a “dictator.”
“And I think that we will see for years from now that problem. There’s no respect for the rule of law at the border,” he said.
“Although we already have inflation — and we already see gasoline prices going up, food prices going up, housing prices going up, car prices going up — they are going to try to pass these two gigantic bills that we’re going to put even more pressure on the economy,” he said.
