CNN asked former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Tuesday morning if he believes Nancy Pelosi's House leadership position is in danger, because Democrats have become more vocal in wishing she'd step aside for a younger legislator.
Not McAuliffe. He still has faith in her.
"I don't believe she's in danger," he said.
For instance, he noted, Pelosi has "never lost a floor vote."
"Ask Obama," McAuliffe continued. He'd say Pelosi was instrumental in getting through tons of legislation, especially the Affordable Care Act.
Pelosi wants another term as speaker so can make more progress on infrastructure and health care, McAuliffe said, before calling her a "formidable legislator."
"It was her work that got us the ACA," he reminded voters.
She would argue the same.
"My argument’s been about what needs to be done and who’s the best person to get it done,” Pelosi said this week. “Nobody is indispensable. But I do think that I am best qualified to take us into the future, protect the Affordable Care Act, to do our infrastructure bill and the rest. Stepping down this path, I know the ropes.”
Of course, it was also Pelosi who told Congress they needed to pass it to find out what's in it.
These days it seems like McAuliffe is in the minority. More and more Democrats are ready for a change in leadership. Here's what Amy McGrath, the Democratic candidate in Kentucky's sixth congressional district, had to say about the current state of the party leadership.
“I mean, the Democratic Party is the party of young people," she said. "Young people! But where is our leadership? The Republican Party does such a better job of grooming the next generation of Republican leaders. The Democratic Party does not, and I think that we need to change that.”
Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio is trying to change that and is considering running against Pelosi for speaker if Democrats take back the House.
CNN also asked McAuliffe about the DNC leadership. Should Keith Ellison still be serving as deputy in light of the sexual assault charges against him? A new ad on Tuesday is reminding Minnesotans about the scandal as they head to the polls. In typical political fashion, McAuliffe didn't really answer. He said something about how the Democratic Party has a "zero tolerance" policy, but that an investigation into the allegations did not prove anything untoward.
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