If anyone should get credit for securing Nancy Pelosi her fourth non-consecutive term as House speaker—and almost surely her last—it has to be Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and the other three “progressives” who comprise the “Squad” among House Democrats.
Hours after Pelosi barely avoided a second ballot in the speaker’s race, speculation was rampant over what she may have promised “AOC” and the “progressives” to win their support—from hearings on the controversial “Green New Deal” to those on abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Pelosi finally won with 216 votes, two less than the 218 seats Democrats hold in the House, to 209 votes for Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. Two Democrats voted for candidates other than Pelosi and three Democrats voted “present”—which doesn’t count in the speaker’s race.
“AOC,” who had been careful not to commit to supporting Pelosi, missed the vote when the roll call was initially called. This raised the suspense over whether Pelosi would win on the first ballot.
The New York congresswoman’s entering the House chamber when names of the absentees were called again was widely noted by the press, and her vote for Pelosi brought a sigh of relief to Democrats on the floor.
Also supporting Pelosi were “AOC’s” fellow “Squad” members—Democratic Reps Ilhan Omar (MN), Ayanna Pressley (Mass),and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The newly-elected “Progressive Caucus” Members, Reps. Cori Bush (Mo.) and Jamaal Bowman (NY), both weighed in for the speaker.
A defection from Pelosi by “AOC” or any of the progressives would have thrown the contest into a second ballot and almost surely doomed the speaker’s chances of wielding the gavel for two more years.
This is the third time in a quarter-century that a speaker has eked to re-election with 216 votes. The others were in 1997, with Republican Newt Gingrich holding on to the speakership and 2015, when Republican John Boehner did the same.
There were significant Republican defections from the incumbent speaker in both races, but the GOP margin was large enough for Gingrich and Boehner to hang on. Both were gone from the speakership less than two years after their narrow re-elections.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.