Liberal Representative Filemon Vela is renewing calls for a change in democratic leadership, saying the party doesn’t stand a chance of retaking the house in 2018 with Nancy Pelosi at the helm and calling the California Congresswoman a “drag on our candidates.”
The democratic lawmaker was speaking with Buzzfeed when he lashed-out at Pelosi, adding there “was no way in hell” the party could seize control of the GOP-led House if Nancy stays in charge.
“When we go to 2018, if we’re going to win the majority, Democrats have to win swing districts, which means winning independent voters, swing voters, and even Republican moderates,” Vela told Buzzfeed. “The problem is that in that demographic […] it is real clear that the drag on our candidates is Nancy Pelosi.”
“If you have an obvious obstacle, why not remove it?” he added, saying there was “no way in hell” Democrats can succeed without a change at the top.
Vela isn’t the only democrat calling for Pelosi to step-aside. A string of special election defeats have led many prominent liberal lawmakers to clamor for a change of leadership.
Pelosi, so far, has refused to budge from her position, saying she has no intention of stepping down. When asked if she should resign from her post following the stinging loss in the Georgia special election, Nancy said she’s “worth the trouble.”
“I think I’m worth the trouble, quite frankly. I love the fray. I’m not— I’m not disrespectful of people’s views. I respect any positive things that people want to say, or even negative, as — as long as it’s constructive,” said Pelosi.