Nancy Pelosi is re-elected as speaker of the House for the 117th congress, with 216 votes
The floor of the House of Representatives erupted in applause as Rep. Nancy Pelosi was re-elected as speaker of the House for the 117th congress, with 216 votes on Sunday evening, 3 January 2021.
It was a narrow re-election for Nancy Pelosi as speaker, giving the California Democrat a fourth – and likely final – term leading the House.
Five Democrats chose not to support her – two voted for Democratic legislators who were not running while three others simply voted “present”. Pelosi, winning with less than 218 votes makes her the third speaker in the last 25 years to win with less than 218 votes, after former Republican Speakers Newt Gingrich and Paul Ryan.
After clenching the win, Pelosi said: “the most urgent priority” of the 117th Congress will be defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Two weeks ago, we passed an emergency relief package to crush the virus and put money in the pockets of workers and families, which is now the law. But we must do more to recognize our heroes,” she said Sunday. “Indeed, the pandemic has pulled back the curtain on even worsened disparities in our economy and our society. We must pursue justice: economic justice, justice in health, racial justice, environmental and climate justice.”
Nancy Pelosi who is the only woman to ever serve as speaker, did not have an opponent and won in the race for speaker just like she did two years ago, when 15 Democrats voted against her on the House floor after unsuccessfully trying to recruit a challenger.
Even though she faced a challenge of rounding up votes, the slimmest House majority in 20 years, after Democrats lost about a dozen seats to Republicans in the November elections. While the surprise losses led some members to question Pelosi’s leadership, many of her would-be critics pointed to her 2018 commitment to serve only two additional terms as speaker, and the lack of any clear alternative candidate, to justify their support this year.
Pelosi also won the support of other former critics who did not support her in 2019 – including Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Jim Cooper of Tennessee, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, and Kathleen Rice of New York.
“As we are sworn in today, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any that previous generations of leadership have faced. We begin the new Congress during a time of extraordinary difficulty,” Pelosi said in a floor speech that noted the deaths of more than 350,000 Americans from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now is a time for our nation to heal. Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus. And defeat it, we will,” the 80-year-old California Democrat added, pledging that further aid would follow the latest $892bn package that Congress passed in December.
The vote took hours, as legislators were required to vote in groups of several dozen due to social-distancing rules imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, many new members were spotted with friends and family members around the Capitol.
A Capitol official told ABC News the enclosure was set up to allow members quarantining because of COVID-19 exposure to vote until proxy voting resumes. Two Democrats and one Republican used the enclosure, at the direction of the Capitol physician, after receiving a negative test.
Republicans and Democrats clashed over mask wearing, which is required in the chamber, along with the creation of a plexiglass enclosure in the House gallery. Republicans criticized the set up and accused Democrats of potentially endangering others at the Capitol to help Pelosi secure her position as speaker.
“To build a structure like that, in the dark of night, to only protect the votes that Speaker Pelosi needs to get reelected speaker, is shameful,” Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Illinois, said Sunday afternoon.
Absences helped lower the threshold for Pelosi and eased her path to victory. At least two Republicans, Reps.-elect Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, and David Valadao of California, missed the first day of the session after recently testing positive for COVID-19.
Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., who disclosed her own COVID-19 infection less than a week ago, voted on Sunday, and told reporters she had quarantined for two weeks after first learning of her infection.
“Dr. Monahan told me that today I could come in,” Moore said.
Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., who is battling pancreatic cancer, was the only Democrat who missed Sunday’s vote.
Shortly after McCarthy handed the gavel to Pelosi, the partisan divisions of the body were already on display.
Pelosi held a moment of silence for Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, R-La., who died last week following a brief battle with COVID-19.
ABC’s Mariam Khan contributed to this report.