Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed in a recent interview that she advocated for an “open process” to replace President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, but Vice President Kamala Harris “took advantage” of the opportunity.
Pelosi emphasized that the process was open to anyone, and it was not orchestrated to favor a particular candidate.
The big picture: Pelosi denied playing any role in pressuring Biden to drop out of the race in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
- “Many of us who were concerned about the election wanted to have an open process. It was an open process, anyone could have gotten in,” Pelosi told the Journal.
- The former House Speaker revealed that she conveyed concerns from other House Democrats about their campaigns being negatively impacted by Biden’s struggles, suggesting a level of internal party debate and apprehension regarding Biden’s candidacy.
Go deeper: Despite endorsing Vice President Harris following Biden’s departure from the race, Pelosi acknowledged that Harris seized the nomination astutely by leveraging the endorsement from the president, ultimately securing the spot without actual primary votes cast in her name.
- “[Harris] had the endorsement of the president, and she, politically astutely, took advantage of it and shut down – not shut down, but won the nomination. But anybody else could have gotten in,” Pelosi told the Journal.
- Pelosi also said the Democratic National Convention was different from what Democrats were initially expecting, crediting Biden for making his decision.
- “He made the decision about how we would proceed, and I respect him for the decision,” Pelosi told the Journal. “His selflessness is something that the American people admire greatly, and the reaction that people have had to it, I hope, is satisfying to him in return.”
