House Democrats Settle on Top Leaders, but Fight Over Speakership RemainsRoll Call, Nov 29, 2018, Lindsey McPherson
House Democrats decided on their top leaders Wednesday — all except the highest-ranking one. Nancy Pelosi overwhelmingly secured the caucus’s nomination for speaker, but a sizable group of opponents appears determined to keep the California Democrat from officially claiming the gavel on Jan. 3.
Pelosi got 203 votes on the caucus ballot, but her allies believe that’s far lower than what she can earn on the floor. There were 32 “no†votes and three blanks. New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is supporting Pelosi, was absent.
What remains uncertain is whether Pelosi will be able to unify enough members of her caucus to win the Jan. 3 speaker election on the House floor. She needs a majority of the entire chamber — 218 votes if all members are present and voting — to secure the gavel, something she currently appears to lack.
The caucus temporarily changed its rules Wednesday to allow for a “no†option on the speaker ballot to help Democrats who promised during their campaigns to vote against Pelosi to fulfill that pledge. Typically the only option for voting against a candidate in an uncontested race would be to leave the ballot blank or write in someone else’s name.
The thinking among Pelosi allies is that voting “no†on the caucus ballot — which, while secret, members can take pictures of and share on social media if they wish — will be enough for most of her critics and they can then vote for her on the floor as the caucus’s nominee.
There are at least 20 members and incoming freshmen who’ve said they will not vote for Pelosi on the floor. That includes 16 Democrats who’ve signed a letter saying they “are committed to voting for new leadership,†and another four who didn’t sign the letter but have made similar pledges
https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/house-democrats-select-top-leaders
