OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be on her way out, but she doesn’t want President Joe Biden to follow her in a couple of years.
As of Monday morning, Republicans were projected to take a small majority in the House, which would mean Pelosi, 82, would lose her Speakership. It’s not clear if she will remain in Congress should that happen, as some reports have suggested she may — but even so, she doesn’t want Biden, who turns 80 next month, to drop out of running again in 2024.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Pelosi claimed on Sunday that Biden “has accomplished so much” and “has a great record.”
“President Biden has been a great president for our country,” said Pelosi. “Over 10 million jobs under his leadership. Working with the private sector, of course. He has just done so many things that are so great.
“He’s put money in people’s pockets, vaccines in their arms, children back to school, people back to work, for starters, creating 10 million jobs,” she continued. “He has made America independent by passing the CHIPS bill that says we’re no longer reliant on those who would withhold products that enable us to manufacture in our country.
“The [Inflation Reduction Act]… $368 billion in good-paying green jobs, clean air, clean water for our children, national security issue to stop migrations and competition for habitat and food, as well as honoring our responsibility to future generations,” Pelosi went on. “The PACT Act, honoring our veterans, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, all of it with justice, with equity, with inclusiveness, with diversity, taking us to a new place. He has been a great president and he has a great record to run on.”
.@gstephanopoulos: "Do you think President Biden should run again?"
House Speaker Pelosi: "Yes I do. He has accomplished so much." https://t.co/DUOI4Aiets pic.twitter.com/VXnD44fgzK
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 13, 2022
Prior to the midterms, the outcome of the elections — and control of Congress — was seen as a measuring stick for whether Biden ought to run again.
“If Biden can hold on to a Democratic Senate, then he’ll be in the catbird seat to run for re-election,” Rice University presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told the Washington Post just before Election Day. “Now, if it’s a red wave and the Republicans win the Congress and Senate, there’s going to be a drumroll for Biden to not be the party’s nominee.”
For his part, the president has said he hasn’t made up his mind yet whether to run again.
“My guess is it will be early next year we make that judgment,” Biden has told reporters. “My judgment of running when I announce, if I announce— my intention is that I run again, but I’m a great respecter of fate and this is ultimately a family decision. I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re gonna have discussions about it,” he added.
Before the election, Pelosi said she was waiting to see if Democrats maintain the majority in the House, which is still possible, though not probable, before he decides on her own future.
The 82-year-old California representative spoke to Dana Bash on the CNN show ‘State of the Union” on Sunday to talk about the midterm elections, her career and the attack on her husband Paul Pelosi.
“My decision will again be rooted in what the wishes of my family and the wishes of my caucus, but none of it will be very much considered until we see what the outcome of all of this is,” the Speaker said.
“There are all kinds of ways to exert influence,” she said. “The Speaker has awesome power. But I will always have influence.”
Her answer was similar when she spoke to Stephanopoulos during a pre-election appearance as well.
“Right now, I’m not making any comments until this election is finished, and we have a little more time to go,” she said. “I wish it was faster.”
She would not say if she thought Democrats would keep the House when she later spoke to CNN.
“What we want to do is go forward in a very unified way as we go forward to prepare for the Congress at hand,” she said. “And then after some respite, get ready for the next election.”
“My purpose in all of this is to first and foremost protect our incumbents,” the Speaker said. “And that is what we have done in California and where we have seen opportunity to grow our majority. That has been our priority both in California and elsewhere. We’re disappointed as to what happened in New York, because that is a setback in terms of our calculations before, but we’ll see, there’s so many boats still out.”
