Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), an informal leader of a small group of Democrats seeking challengers for top Democratic leadership positions in the next Congress, told the Washington Post Monday that his effort was “bigger” than presumed incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) alone — signaling he may abandon his bid to line up support behind a challenger to Pelosi’s speakership and focus instead on one of her deputies, or on other leadership positions.
“Leader Pelosi wants to boil this down to a personal argument, but this is so much bigger than her,” Moulton, 40, said in a statement to the Post. “It’s about the entire, stagnant three-person leadership team and having a serious conversation about promoting leaders who reflect the future of our caucus.”
That “stagnant” three-person team includes Pelosi, likely future House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and likely future Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC). Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn are 78 years old, 79 years old and 78 years old, respectively.
Though 16 Democrats recently signed a letter saying they would oppose Pelosi’s bid to be the next House speaker, some initial opponents of Pelosi’s have since either endorsed her speakership bid or have shown signs that they might.
An unnamed House Democratic adviser told the Post that Moulton may also seek a guarantee from Pelosi that she’ll limit her time as speaker.
“If she [Pelosi] can publicly guarantee that she’ll only be there for one year as a transitional figure, and that there will be elections for the leadership next fall, some people are more than willing to talk through that at this point,” the adviser said.
Pelosi, the Post noted, “has given no indication that she is open to talks with Moulton about a deal for the support of moderate critics, or that she would ever waver in her support” for Hoyer or Clyburn.
