Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic powerhouse, took a careful and respectful stance in her public approach to President Biden's decision on whether he would seek reelection.
The San Francisco congresswoman, known for her ruthlessly effective political instincts, never openly called for the president to withdraw from the 2024 campaign after a disastrous debate performance that solidified concerns about his cognitive and mental fortitude. Once Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday, however, Pelosi wholeheartedly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democrats’ nominee for the White House.
“We should be very proud of our accomplishments, of the Biden-Harris administration and of the Democrats in Congress,” Pelosi told California Democratic delegates Monday night as she made a motion to select Harris as the party's presidential nominee.
“Tonight I move a motion to recognize the excellence, the determination, the patriotism, the future prospects, the pride that we feel and the joy that we have, and the candidacy of Kamala Harris,” Pelosi said, according to a recording of the delegates’ Zoom meeting. “I move a motion that our members endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States.”
California’s delegation — nearly 500 strong and the largest of any state — voted unanimously in favor of Harris, a significant step for the vice president who appears to have secured the number of delegates needed to secure the party’s nomination. The party’s official nomination will be formalized at the Democrats’ convention in Chicago next month.
For Pelosi, who has served in the House since 1987, this moment was her biggest embrace of Harris. Even though the two women share roots in the Bay Area, they have never been as close as other politicians in the region. But Pelosi also faced stiff headwinds in Biden’s presidential reelection bid. Though she stepped down as House speaker in 2023, Pelosi wields an almost unmatched amount of power in her party and cares deeply about her party’s strength in Washington.
While Pelosi was respectful in allowing Biden, another octogenarian, to make his own decision on the best path forward for his party and the nation, she was also mindful of the impact the president’s decision would have on critical congressional races that will decide control of the House, particularly in California. Control of the House of Representatives likely spans the state, including critical races in Orange County and the Central Valley.
“House and Senate members were scared by the debate, scared by the lack of a plan, scared by the possibility of Biden losing in their districts. They said, ‘We can’t keep this up because we can’t afford to do it and still win,’” said a source close to Pelosi who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “We don’t have that kind of margin for error. That sent tremors through the caucus.”
A growing number of Democrats had called for Biden to step aside, and had he not announced he would not seek reelection this weekend, many more members of Congress were expected to make public their concerns about his candidacy this week, according to multiple sources.
“As bad as people think this is, the pressure was on. There were dozens more members on the verge of doing something this week,” this person said.
Pelosi, according to a second source close to the congresswoman, took pains to remain respectful of the president while also serving as a sounding board for other interested elected officials.
“I would say it’s important to note that throughout this entire process, Speaker Pelosi was taking calls, not making calls,” this person said. “She was not initiating conversations.”
“People had a lot of concerns and she felt like she was in a position to listen to them because people came to her,” this person said. “I think that was her role. She was the person people came to for advice.”
He reportedly told congressional candidates in close races to make the decision that best suited their needs and the political leanings of their districts.
Moreover, as the president said earlier this month that he was “firmly committed to staying in this race,” Pelosi made comments on MSNBC that suggested he was having second thoughts about his prospects.
“It’s up to the president to decide whether he’s going to run or not,” he said on “Morning Joe.” “We all encourage him to make that decision, because time is running out.”
“I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that’s the way it is. Whatever he decides, we’ll do it,” he said.
A few days later, Representative Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, one of Pelosi’s closest allies and a leading member of Congress, called on Biden to drop out of the race, a statement that many political operatives viewed as blessed by Pelosi.
Both sources who spoke to The Times said Pelosi was unaware of Biden’s decision not to seek reelection before he announced it Sunday, and that she learned of it when she was at a private event in New Jersey.
