House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) brushed off concerns raised by some in the House Democratic Caucus that she is dragging them down in competitive races, saying her legislative and fundraising prowess make up for any downsides to being seen with her.
"She just doesn't help our candidates in those swing districts with independent voters and Republican voters", Vela said on CNN's "Newsroom" Friday.
The key for Handel was the time she had between April's first round of voting (which Ossoff led in an open primary with 48.1 percent, just short of the majority he needed to settle matters then) and the second (in which Ossoff's vote nearly precisely matched his earlier share).
Pushing back on criticism from fellow party members after the Democratic loss in a Georgia special election this week, Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she's "worth the trouble" as Democrats' leader in the House.
She said Democrats had an opportunity to put in some new leadership after the disastrous 2016 election. Many of her campaign e-mails told supporters that Pelosi and the "resistance" were pouring millions into the district to sway the results in Ossoff's favor.
Her approval ratings are low, and while House Speaker Paul Ryan's are similarly weak, the idea of ousting Ryan doesn't animate Democratic voters the way defeating Pelosi proved to motivate conservatives in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections, as well as the special election in Georgia.
Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas), who supported Pelosi's re-election last fall, told Politico on Wednesday, "I think you'd have to be an idiot to think we could win the House with Pelosi at the top". 'I believe she is not the leader for the future of the Democratic Party.
'There comes a time in every leader's life when they have to know that it's time to leave and usher in the next generation of leaders, ' Rice said. Oh-for-four. That is the number of special elections held recently in which - try as they might - Democrats failed to dislodge a Republican. "Nancy Pelosi is not the only reason that Ossoff lost".
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Handel, the Georgia Republican who beat Democrat Jon Ossoff by 4 points, was not a particularly good candidate.
His 2015-16 giving was well behind Pelosi previous year, at $592,500.
Pelosi became defensive, in the middle of a long rambling explanation about the state of the Democrat Party (video at end). But guess what? It works, they're winning.
But Pelosi's camp signaled she is taking the grumbling seriously.
The president wrote Thursday: "I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out. (Tom) Daschle was a target, Tip O'Neill was a target", Pelosi said.
"She will have to pick some issues she disagrees with the president on, going forward", the GOP aide said.
In 2009, Pelosi was Speaker of the House leading a 255-seat majority.
Lifelong Democrat, San Francisco employment attorney and former Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign volunteer Stephen R. Jaffe will be running against Pelosi in the Democratic primary.
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