Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated that Democrats might have performed better in Tuesday’s election if President Joe Biden had stepped down earlier. Speaking to the New York Times, she stated that “had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race.”
Her remarks add to the mounting blame among Democrats following their losses of the White House and possibly both chambers of Congress.
Pelosi has been linked to the movement within the party to encourage Biden to withdraw, which he ultimately did in late July after facing pressure due to a poor debate performance against Donald Trump. Upon exiting the race, Biden swiftly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who subsequently faced a significant defeat against President-elect Trump.
Pelosi remarked, “The anticipation was that if the president were to step aside, there would be an open primary,” suggesting that such a scenario would have benefited Harris’s candidacy.
Reflecting on the situation, she expressed uncertainty, saying, “But we don’t know that. That didn’t happen. We live with what happened.” Pelosi, who secured her 20th term in the House on Tuesday, noted that Biden’s early endorsement of Harris made it nearly impossible to establish a competitive primary process.
In conversations with Politico, aides to Harris also expressed frustration, attributing blame to Biden for not stepping aside sooner. One unnamed aide remarked, “Joe Biden is the singular reason Kamala Harris and Democrats lost tonight.”
Contrarily, a former Biden aide criticized Harris’ excuses, questioning how the campaign spent $1 billion without achieving victory.
Former President Barack Obama’s advisors faced criticism as well, with one unnamed aide stating that they encouraged Democratic discord to push Biden out and did not endorse Harris as a nominee.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman blamed the election outcome on those who sought to remove Biden, urging accountability for the results.
Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi pointed to the party’s focus on political correctness as a factor in the loss, asserting that the party struggled to counter Republican narratives on issues such as policing and traditional values.
Another New York Congressman, Ritchie Torres, took to X to blame the far-left, arguing that radical elements in the party have alienated many voters, including Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders criticized the Democratic leadership for abandoning the working class, asserting that the American people are dissatisfied and seeking change.
In response to Sanders’ claims, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison dismissed them on X as “straight up BS.”
Credit: BBC News
