More than 20 Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives have said that they would not support Rep. Nancy Pelosi in her bid to be House speaker again, Vox reported Thursday.
Vox counted 23 candidates who have publicly said they would not support Pelosi for speaker. Out of that list, 17 are on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue list, a listing of the GOP-held districts that Democrats consider competitive, the report said.
Pelosi is the House minority leader and former speaker, and has said she would run for speaker again if Democrats win the House majority in the November midterms.
The California congresswoman, as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has received criticism from Democrats who question the party’s direction, Vox reported.
"While I respect Representative Pelosi's years of advocacy on behalf of California and the Democratic Party, new leadership is needed,” California candidate Gil Cisneros said, Vox reported.
"I've said since Day 1 that I wouldn’t vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker. I think we need a whole new generation of people in D.C. That’s part of why I’m running; we need some new blood,” said North Carolina candidate Dan McCready, the report said.
Ohio candidate Aftab Pureval, who is not on Vox’s list, has also criticized Pelosi.
"Will I support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker? The answer is no. I’m running for Congress because I genuinely believe we need a new generation of leadership,” Pureval, who is challenging Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, said in an interview with Cincinnati newspaper The Enquirer.