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Pelosi Unfazed by Speaker Challenge From Rep. Marcia Fudge: 'Come On In, The Water's Warm'

Lauretta Brown
Lauretta Brown  |  November 15, 2018 12:45 PM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is completely unafraid of a challenge from Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) for speaker of the House.

"I say it to everybody, 'come on in, the water's warm.'" Pelosi said during her weekly press conference when asked about the challenge for the position that Fudge is contemplating.

"I intend to win the speakership with democratic votes,” she said. “I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be Speaker of the House and certainly we have many, many people in our caucus who could serve in that capacity. I happen to think at this point I am the best person for that."

Rep. Fudge has yet to officially announce a bid for the position but she says she’s been “overwhelmed” by the number of people encouraging her to do so and believes the opposition to Pelosi is larger than just the 17 Democrats who signed a letter saying they won’t support Pelosi.

She also accused Pelosi of ignoring the Congressional Black Caucus and worried about undertones of racism in her party.

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“I don’t have a pitch because at this point I’ve not decided I’m going to run,” Fudge told HuffPost, “but I would say this: My concern about the caucus is the same concern I have about the country. Just as there is this undertone of racism in the country, there’s also that in our caucus.”

Fudge pointed out Pelosi’s refusal to endorse in the race for majority whip which is between the current third-ranking Democrat Jim Clyburn (D-SC), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO).

“But she wants our endorsements?” Fudge asked. “Who has she endorsed?”

“We’re not feeling the love,” she emphasized.