Nancy Pelosi Says She Has the Votes to Become House Speaker
The current split over her leadership is especially striking among women, who make up two-thirds of the incoming freshmen Democrats. It seems both generational and ideological, with older women in the caucus almost universally in support of Ms. Pelosi, and some younger newcomers — especially centrists from states won by President Trump in 2016 — questioning the role that gender should play.
“I never want to be disrespectful to anyone who has served, especially a woman who has broken glass ceilings,” said Elissa Slotkin, 42, an incoming representative from Michigan who opposes Ms. Pelosi and just ousted a Republican in a tight race. “But people in my district on both sides of the aisle feel that it’s time for a new generation of leadership.”
She added, “For me, what’s most important for my district is someone who’s talking about kitchen table issues. That’s more important than gender.”
But such talk mystifies Representative Jan Schakowsky, 74, Democrat of Illinois. “I don’t understand why they don’t see the value of having a woman, a mother of five, someone who has made part of her mission empowering other women,” Ms. Schakowsky said. “I wish these younger women could have seen her in action, in moving an agenda, in working for her victories.”
Ms. Schakowsky called the attacks on Ms. Pelosi by their male colleagues “sexist,” saying they are not pushing to oust longtime male leaders like Representative Steny D. Hoyer of Maryland, who is running for the No. 2 job as Democratic leader, and Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who is running for Democratic whip.
“You don’t hear anything about other leaders being around too long, that we have to get rid of the men,” she said.
In many respects, the divide over Ms. Pelosi echoes the 2016 presidential nomination campaign of Hillary Clinton, who drew much stronger support among older women, as young women flocked to Bernie Sanders.