Democrats in the House are looking to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to potentially strong-arm President Joe Biden into dropping his bid for reelection.
"That's why some of us are going to Pelosi ... she's a tough cookie, she'll tell you like it is," one House Democrat told Axios.
"She's the f****** power-broker," another House Democrat said. "She's the hatchet."
On Wednesday morning Pelosi went on "Morning Joe" and essentially called on Biden to cease dithering and make a decision on his candidacy.
"It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said. "We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short."
Biden has told congressional Democrats that he will not be taking his name off the top of the ticket and has every intention of continuing to run.
Capitol Hill Democrats who had been resigned to Biden as the party's presidential nominee seemed to view Pelosi's comments as a signal to continue the pile-on.
By end of day Wednesday, Reps. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., joined the chorus of House Democrats calling for Biden to exit the race, and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., became the first senator to urge Biden to withdraw in the upper chamber.
One House Democrat told Axios to expect more members to speak out in the days to come.
"I told my comms team, have our statement ready to go next time he [Biden] has a big f***-up, because you know there's going to be another one," one House Democrat said.
Depending on how Biden's NATO press conference goes on Thursday, the lawmaker said, "You might see a whole new wave" of Democrats exhorting him to step down.
Later Wednesday, Pelosi seemed to walk back her comments, telling Capitol Hill reporters, "I think [Biden] can win."
Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager told Axios that "Speaker Pelosi fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do."
"We must turn our attention to why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy," Krager added.
While few Democrats would presume to speak for Pelosi, several lawmakers told the outlet that her statement aligned with her signature political style.
"She wants to win," one House Democrat said. "She's this person who has always been focused on winning elections, she knows how to do it, and I'm sure she shares the concerns of a lot of us."
"I don't think she wants him to run," another told Axios.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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