Rebel Democrats seek to derail Nancy Pelosi’s bid for role of House speaker
Nancy Pelosi, a pillar of American politics for nearly two decades, is expected to move a step closer towards becoming the next speaker of the House of Representatives as her fellow Democrats on Wednesday steered towards nominating her to the powerful job. Fresh from their November 6 election victories giving them majority control of the House in 2019, Democrats will meet behind closed doors to elect their leaders for the new Congress that convenes in January and to nominate a speaker. A small group of Democratic dissidents has been trying to derail her bid. The 78-year-old Californian is attempting the rare feat of securing the speaker’s gavel for a non-consecutive term, having become the first female speaker in US history in 2007. Her run as speaker ended in 2011, however, when Republicans took over the House only to lose their majority in this month’s midterm elections. The House speaker sets the chamber’s legislative agenda and is second, behind the vice-president, in the line o...
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