Despite her campaign pledge, incoming Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn. says she will now support Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to be speaker of the house, the Washington Examiner is reporting.
Hayes had signaled during the campaign she would not back Pelosi.
“I came to DC with an open mind,” Hayes said Tuesday. “I was willing to listen, to hear where other members of Congress wanted to take our party and was hopeful that many candidates would step up to the plate and there would be multiple options to choose from when selecting our next speaker. I have seen media reports of other candidates but to date, the only person that has declared their intentions, spoke to me about their vision and asked me for my vote is Nancy Pelosi.”
Now, she said she believes a vote against Pelosi is unwise.
“The American people sent Democrats to Congress so that we would fight for the values they care about and to act as a check on this administration,” she said. “Voting against Nancy Pelosi accomplishes neither of those goals. In fact, it undermines them.”
The Examiner noted she had said in August she would vote against Pelosi.
Meanwhile Democratic Rep.-elect Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, said she also will support Pelosi. Davids had never vowed to vote against Pelosi. However, Davids had said she wanted new leadership across the board.
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