A group of Democratic House members issued a letter to their colleagues Monday vowing to vote against Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11) in her bid for the speakership.
The letter calls for “new leadership” in Congress, but some of Minnesota’s newly-elected members who made similar claims on the campaign trail were nowhere to be found on the letter.
“As we head toward the 116th Congress and reclaim our Democratic majority, we believe more strongly than ever that the time has come for new leadership in our Caucus,” Monday’s letter begins, thanking Pelosi for “her years of service.”
NEW: 16 House Democrats sign letter thanking Rep. Pelosi for her years of service and leadership, but urge "that the time has come for new leadership in our Caucus." pic.twitter.com/TfyJJkqbyB
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 19, 2018
“However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran and won on a message of change,” the letter continues. “Our majority came on the backs of candidates who said that they would support new leadership because voters in hard-won districts across this country want to see real change in Washington.”
Among those candidates is Rep.-elect Dean Phillips (D-MN-03), who called for a “new generation of leadership” when asked about his support for Pelosi on the campaign trail.
Rep.-elect Angie Craig (D-MN-02) claimed after her election that she would like to “see more members of the Democratic Party from the Midwest move into leadership,” saying she doesn’t want to “be in a situation where everybody’s from the coasts.”
Neither Craig nor Phillips, however, joined their newly elected colleagues in signing Monday’s letter, which concludes by noting that they “promised to change the status quo” on the campaign trail, and “intend to deliver on that promise.”
“Therefore, we are committed to voting for new leadership in both our Caucus and on the House floor,” the letter states.
The letter was signed by 16 Democratic members of Congress, five of whom are newly elected, including Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Ben McAdams of Utah, Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, and two new members from New York.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Image “Angie Craig” from Angie Craig Facebook page.
Image “Dean Phillips” from Dean Phillips Facebook page.
