As the election results showed Democrats had avoided a “red wave” wipeout in the House, President Joe Biden called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday to ask her to serve one more term in Congress, Politico reported Monday.
“I hope you stick,” Biden said during the call after congratulating her on the party’s better-than-expected showing in the midterms and asking about her husband’s health, according to the report, which cited “Democrats familiar with the conversation.”
Pelosi brought her up her “personal considerations,” but Biden pressed on.
“I know it’s family first, but I hope you stick,” the president repeated, after which the speaker “deflected again,” according to Politico.
Pelosi, who is 82, said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper last week that her retirement decision would be affected by the Oct. 28 attack on her husband.
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Paul Pelosi was struck with a hammer by a man who had entered their San Francisco home, and he underwent surgery for a skull fracture.
Drew Hammill, Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman, told Fox News that she is still trying to decide what she will do, the outlet reported Tuesday.
“The Speaker has not made a decision about her future. As the Speaker just stated yesterday on national TV, she will make a decision once all the votes have been counted. She’s not even thinking about her future at this moment,” Hammill said.
Will Nancy Pelosi retire?
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“The speaker will make an announcement when she makes an announcement. Until then, let’s all enjoy watching Kevin McCarthy lose a speakership his party hasn’t even won in the first place,” he said, referring to challenges to the House minority leader in his bid to replace Pelosi in the next Congress.
It seemed all but certain Tuesday that Pelosi would lose her position as speaker even if she were to remain in Congress.
The New York Times projected that the Republicans had won 217 seats in the House — one short of the 218 needed for a majority.
The highest role Pelosi could have in a GOP-led Congress would be minority leader.
Even if the Democrats were to somehow pull off a stunning reversal, Pelosi agreed in 2018 to serve a maximum of four more years as speaker.
The speaker easily won re-election in California’s very liberal 11th Congressional District last week.
San Francisco,
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in Congress. Of all the honors I have received, there’s no privilege greater than going to the Floor of the House and saying, I speak for the people of San Francisco.
I’m respectfully asking once again for your vote. -NP pic.twitter.com/CxClaTJrLn
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) November 8, 2022
Pelosi received 83.3 percent of the vote compared with 16.7 percent for her Republican opponent, John Dennis.
