House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried Thursday to spin her way out of election losses that have some Democrats mulling a move to replace her with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, according to a report.
During a private conference call with House Democrats, Pelosi (D-California) downplayed the fact that Republicans ate into their majority by flipping a net five seats, CNN said.
Instead, Pelosi reportedly called Election Day a “big win” because she expects Joe Biden to defeat President Trump and Democrats to gain at least one seat in the Senate.
“We did not win every battle, but we won the war,” Pelosi claimed, an unidentified Democrat who took part in the call told CNN.
The upbeat assessment followed a report that some Democrat House members are so furious over Tuesday’s election results that they’re privately discussing replacing her with Jeffries (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
“He bridges moderates and progressives better than anyone. And most importantly, he’s not Nancy Pelosi,” one of the lawmakers told The Hill.
Jeffries denied any interest in the speaker’s job, The Hill said.
Also during Thursday’s conference call, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Illinois), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, reportedly blamed bad polling for her failed Election Day prediction that “we will grow the majority.”
“Voters looked more like 2016 than projected,” Bustos said, a source told CNN.
Demoralized Democrats have reportedly likened Tuesday’s results to a “dumpster fire” and expressed fear for what the future may bring.
“If we don’t get our act together, we’re going to get creamed in 2022,” a Democratic lawmaker told CNN on Wednesday.