Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is working furiously behind the scenes to pressure President Biden to reconsider his top 2024 presidential nominee, according to several Democratic lawmakers with knowledge of her activities.
The Speaker Emeritus is speaking with a wide range of House Democrats, from front-line lawmakers in tough districts to veterans with institutional influence, to try to pump the brakes on the notion that Biden should undoubtedly be the party’s nominee come November, these lawmakers said.
While Pelosi has not said Biden should withdraw from the race, lawmakers have said she has deep concerns about Biden’s ability to beat former President Trump and is fighting to block the party from certifying Biden’s candidacy before there is a broader discussion about the potential fallout from that decision.
“I’ve spoken to her, and she’s very concerned,” said a House Democrat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue. “She’s not like, ‘We’re sticking with this guy.'”
Many other lawmakers are making similar arguments.
“I’ve had conversations with her myself,” the second Democrat said.
“This is a clear concern. The stakes are so high. We can’t afford to do anything but give ourselves the best chance to win,” the lawmaker said, relaying Pelosi’s message.
Sources say Pelosi’s push for a deeper assessment of Biden’s candidacy stems from concerns that the president’s team responded to Biden’s dismal performance in the June 27 debate with emotional appeals to staunch allies and a show of hardline defiance, without seriously addressing the underlying image issues or objectively analyzing the political impact.
“The Biden team has made clear its strategy: ignore the problems, run out the clock, and force the rest of us to live with them,” said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who has publicly called on Biden to step down. “I felt a sense of urgency to reverse that strategy.”
To stave off backlash from the debate, Biden quickly called members of the Congressional Black Caucus, perhaps his strongest base of support in Congress, but did not call other groups or the Democratic caucus as a whole.
Some Democrats said Pelosi was speaking for other lawmakers who felt decisions about Biden’s future were being imposed on them without a chance to have a say.
“Pelosi is representing the idea that if we’re going to come together, we need more people who are united,” said a third Democrat familiar with her efforts. “You have to have serious discussions with people to come to a collective decision. You can’t just pass judgment on people.”
Pelosi has urged front-line lawmakers to do whatever it takes to keep their seats, even if it means the public demands Biden step down, while urging Democrats who are likely to retain their seats to take their concerns directly to the White House. Pelosi declined to comment when asked about the efforts, but a spokesman issued a statement saying she would support Biden whatever course he chooses.
“Speaker Pelosi has the full support of President Biden whatever decision he makes. We must focus on why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy,” spokesman Ian Craiger said.
Pelosi is a longtime ally of Biden, and the two worked together as speaker during Biden’s first two years in the White House to pass major legislation to combat COVID-19, control health care costs and increase funding for infrastructure projects.
But Ms. Pelosi is also a pragmatist with a keen eye for politics and a fierce instinct for winning. Like many Democrats, she warns that Mr. Trump poses an existential threat to the nation’s prosperity, and her party’s first goal is to prevent him from winning a second term at all costs.
Following Biden’s shaky debate performance in Atlanta last month, the president scrambled to shore up his support, writing defiant letters to Democrats vowing to continue the campaign and organizing a conference call with members of the CBC, who quickly and almost unanimously declared their support for Biden.
Those efforts created the initial, if temporary, impression that the president had silenced his critics and paved the way for him to clinch the nomination at next month’s convention. But a growing number of cracks in his wall of support appeared as lawmakers privately expressed deep misgivings about Biden’s likely victory and a slow but steady stream of Democrats publicly called on the president to drop out of the race.
Pelosi added to those fears Wednesday during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” refusing to explicitly endorse Biden, instead saying the president must decide whether to continue running and suggesting it remains possible Biden could withdraw from the race despite his repeated and adamant declarations that he will continue in the race.
“It’s up to the president to decide whether he wants to run,” Pelosi said, “and we’re all urging him to make that decision, because time is running out.”
The comments were a stark contrast to Ms Pelosi’s support for Mr Biden immediately after the debate, spurning calls for her to resign. She also raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill by suggesting Mr Biden’s next move was an open question, where many Democrats said she was challenging the notion that Mr Biden’s candidacy was a given.
“It’s clear she doesn’t think the matter is settled,” one House Democrat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive deliberations, told The Hill, “and in response to Joe Biden’s statement that, ‘I’m running, shut up,’ she said, ‘No, we’re still discussing this.'”
“She’s obviously keeping this situation very open and very fluid,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the first Democrat to call on Biden to step down.
House Democratic leaders echoed Pelosi’s sentiments, telling reporters that the future of Biden’s candidacy is up to the president to decide. Asked if Biden’s pledge to continue the campaign was final, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said, “That’s a question you have to ask President Biden.” House Minority Leader Katherine Clark of Massachusetts told reporters, “As always, this decision is up to the president,” and Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, when pressed on whether Biden had made a final decision, said, “That’s a question you have to ask him.”
Pelosi’s comments, however, are on a level of their own.
Pelosi has led House Democrats for nearly two decades, during which she has become known for her strategic politicking, her keen eye for winning, her keen understanding of her caucus and, through it all, her innate tendency to choose her words very carefully, especially on issues of critical importance.
“She’s someone everyone listens to and her words are carefully chosen and taken seriously,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.
She’s also close to the president: Pelosi served as the head of the House Democratic caucus for Biden’s entire term as vice president and for the first half of his presidency, including four years as speaker, and the two veteran Democrats have worked hand in hand.
House Democrats said those dynamics give her words unique weight in the current debate.
“She’s a big part of this,” the congressman said. “She’s a remarkable person.”
“She has a relationship with the president, she has a relationship with the campaign, so she’s a trusted messenger,” the congressman continued, “And because she’s Nancy Pelosi, she’s a brilliant person from top to bottom in every action and thought, so people are going to listen to her.”
