Dem lawmaker: ‘There’s plenty of competent females’ that can be Speaker instead of Pelosi – By Justin Wise (thehill.com) / Nov 15 2018
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said Wednesday that a congresswoman besides Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) should be the House Speaker.
“There’s plenty of really competent females that we can replace her with,” Ryan told reporters, before listing people such as Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) as potential candidates, The New York Times reported Thursday.
His comments come as the battle for Democratic leadership in the House intensifies. Pelosi, who held the Speaker position from 2007 to 2011, expressed confidence on Thursday that she had enough support to be voted into the role.
But many lawmakers are insistent about the idea of having a new face in House leadership. As of Wednesday night, 17 House Democrats had signed onto a letter pledging not to support Pelosi’s Speaker bid, according to Huffington Post.
Ryan has urged Fudge, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), to consider running against the California congresswoman.
“I’m still thinking about it,” Fudge told CNN on Thursday night, adding that she has been overwhelmed by the amount of people encouraging her to run.
Ryan and other male lawmakers have faced criticism for their outspoken efforts to oppose Pelosi.
“These male members were elected and got back here because of what women did,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) said, The Times reported.
Pelosi on Thursday released statements touting support from multiple CBC members. She also earned the support from a pair of newly elected California lawmakers.
