As Democrats argue over which direction to take the party in the wake of surprising losses in congressional races, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is calling on her caucus to work together and “be advocates for unity.”
In a letter to Democratic lawmakers on Monday, Pelosi congratulated her colleagues on winning their election bids and argued that it is “imperative” that Congress pass a new COVID-19 relief bill before a new administration is sworn in.
She noted “there is a great deal at stake in the next two months” and that the differences between Democrats and Republicans “are great, especially in how we respect the health and well-being of America’s working families.”
“In this fight, we must work as a team,” she said.
Pelosi continued:
“As you’ve heard me say repeatedly: our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power. In that spirit, I want to share some thoughts on advocacy. We advocate because we believe we can convince others of our point of view. If we advocate to unify, we can prevail. Our Caucus draws strength from the ongoing conversations that we continuously have to build consensus and ensure that the legislation we put forward is respectful of the thinking and values of all Members. I look forward to our continuing this productive dialogue.”
“Let us all be advocates for unity in the Democratic party, where our values are opportunity and community,” she added.
Democrats were expected to pick up as many as 15 seats in the House, but wound up with a slimmer majority. That prompted a new round of intra-party fighting as moderate Democrats blamed the losses on the progressive wing of the party.
Before the election, there was some optimism that there would be another stimulus bill passed by the end of the year. However, those hopes of a bigger bill seem to have faded after Republicans appear poised to maintain control of the Senate and made significant gains in the House.
