Earlier this morning there was a motion to delay voting on the next minority leader, which failed.
The nearly 70 votes to put off the elections were a demonstration of a considerable bloc of opposition, effectively a no-confidence vote, with those supporting delay tacitly bucking the idea of keeping this leadership team in the exact same slots.
“I think 68 votes is a substantial message,” DeFazio said.
Then in a closed door meeting Representatives voted 150 to 43 to re-elect Pelosi.
The AP reports:
The vote Wednesday will let the California congresswoman shift from House speaker to minority leader in January, despite concerns by some Democrats that the party needs new leadership after suffering huge midterm election losses.
Pelosi has refused to take the blame and pinned party’s losses on stubbornly high unemployment. Democrats also quelled a power struggle between lieutenants Steny Hoyer of Maryland and James Clyburn of South Carolina, who vied to be Pelosi’s second-in-command. Hoyer was poised to be the Democrats’ vote-counting whip, and Clyburn will serve in a newly created position as the House’s No. 3 Democrat.
Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), a more conservative Democrat, opposed her. Earlier, current House majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) had also opposed Pelosi.