A number of Democrats, majority younger members, had tried to oust Pelosi a year ago after President Trump won the White House, and those lawmakers have revived that effort following Tuesday's special election in Georgia, where Democrat Jon Ossoff was defeated by Republican Karen Handel in the most expensive House race in the nation's history.
Around the same time House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was declaring she had broad support to remain the top Democratic leader and jabbing back at her critics, a group of her colleagues met privately to brainstorm on whether there was a way to force her out.
On Thursday, Trump jumped into the political fray, taking a swipe at Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in a tweet. Losses by Republicans in any of those races would likely have hastened the retirement of incumbents in competitive districts and would have emboldened strong potential Democratic candidates to jump in. But Pelosi maintained that familiar GOP strategy only proves she is an asset. Pelosi's enduring role as a Republican punching bag revived debate over whether her leadership is an electoral drag on the party, or if she is simply a convenient (female) symbol for attacks on liberalism that the GOP would level with or without her.
Democratic candidates have gone 0-4 in congressional special elections, including in Montana where the Republican candidate won despite being arrested in the assault of a journalist in the final days of the campaign.
That the Pelosi-bashing continued to hurt Democrats - already struggling to get their bearings after Trump's win in November - left some fuming after a morning meeting Wednesday. I see that Democrats are coming out, and they're not coming out perhaps in the numbers you them to come out in.
Amid the backlash against Pelosi, Trump went on Twitter to mockingly signal his support for the California Democrat. After she was re-elected Democratic leader, the Republican National Committee unfurled a banner that read "Hire Pelosi" outside its headquarters.
If Ossoff runs again in 2018, Owens said it would give Democrats a good chance to win, especially because they'll have more time to register and contact potential voters. Since his inauguration, Trump has expanded that criticism to the entire Democratic Party, where the president takes routine jabs at the liberals in Washington.
"She personally told me she was rock solid" with the president, said Webb, 70. "And we need to also lift up this nation so that we can find a more civil way to deal with our disagreements". I have enormous respect for her. Nancy Pelosi is the leader of the House Democrats. Ryan made it clear after his failed bid to oust Pelosi in the fall that he wasn't planning to challenge her again and was just supporting the effort. Pelosi held onto her position by a vote of 134 to 63.
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His treating physicians said he suffered from unresponsive wakefulness , a condition also known as persistent vegetative state. Young Pioneer Tours, the China-based group Warmbier used for his trip, said it would no longer take Americans to the country.
"The same, exhausted centrist Democratic playbook that has come up short cycle after cycle will not suffice", Mr. Dean said in a statement.
And progressive activists' willingness to pour millions of dollars' worth of small-dollar online contributions into Ossoff's campaign - donations fueled nearly entirely by a desire to deal Trump a political setback - was what convinced Democrats to take the race seriously.
John Ossoff may have raised more money for his campaign than any House candidate in history, but he is still a 30-year-old who had never run for office before and doesn't actually live in the district.
"Look, they demonized Nancy in 2010, they demonized her in 2006".
Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN his party needed new leadership.
Rice's sentiment was echoed by other House Democrats in recent months including Reps.
The former Georgia secretary of state was quick to embrace her party's leader after mostly avoiding him - at least publicly - during a protracted campaign.
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