Pelosi wins another term as House Speaker

• Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) won another term as Speaker of the House of Representatives as the 117th Congress kicked off on Sunday.
• Pelosi’s win was expected among the Democrat-controlled House, but with a narrower margin following the recent election’s Republican gains.
• Pelosi won 216-209 against California Republican Kevin McCarthy.

The 117th Congress has kicked off on Sunday, with Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) winning another term as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

This is Pelosi’s second consecutive two-year term and fourth overall. Her previous terms were in 2007, 2009, and 2019.

The California Democrat won 216 votes while her challenger, California Republican Kevin McCarthy, had 209 votes.

With the Democrats controlling the House, Pelosi’s win was expected, albeit with a narrower margin following the recent election’s Republican gains. The Democratic party was also divided along moderate and far-left lines.

While there were some Democrat defections, Pelosi won a close victory. She reached the needed simple majority of all votes cast for named candidates.

Out of the 433 currently-elected representatives, 430 attended Sunday’s vote.

There are still two unoccupied seats: New York’s 22nd District, which still has an uncalled tight race, and Louisiana’s 5th District, after Republican Representative-elect Luke Letlow passed away from coronavirus-related complications.

Since representatives could vote for anyone, the votes are not limited to Pelosi or McCarthy. They could also decline to vote or simply declare themselves present.

In this vote, two lawmakers voted for other candidates while three voted present.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) had kicked off the vote with an impassioned speech nominating Pelosi, but he was voted by Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Penn.). Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voted for fellow military veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

The three present votes were all Democrats: Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin, New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill, and Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger.

Meanwhile, the Republicans all supported McCarthy.

Social distancing was still enforced during the vote: the representatives voted in small, staggered groups and breaks were scheduled throughout the day’s proceedings to allow for sanitizing. The lawmakers were also required to wear masks.

Source: New York Post