Nancy Pelosi has been reelected as Speaker of the House of Representatives. The 80-year-old Democrat won a close vote over Republican Kevin McCarthy. The vote was 216 to 208, in favor of Pelosi.
This is her fourth time serving as Speaker. She was elected in 2007, 2009, and 2019. This is the second time Pelosi has served two consecutive years as Speaker of the House.
Those voting could technically vote for anyone or simply mark themselves as present. As a result, per a report on the NY Post, there were two votes for other candidates and three of the lawmakers had voted “present.”
Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden cast his vote for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a fellow military veteran.
Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Penn.) voted for New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries — who kicked off the vote with an impassioned speech nominating Pelosi.
Three Democrats voted present: New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill, Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin and Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger.
Of the 433 members of the chamber, there was 429 present in Capitol Hill and they practiced social distancing.
Four hundred and twenty-nine of the chamber’s 433 currently-elected lawmakers were in attendance Sunday on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries praised the House Speaker, saying Nancy Pelosi is “a champion of the children, a defender of the disenfranchised, a voice for the voiceless, a fabulous facilitator, a notorious negotiator, and a legendary legislator for such a time for this.”
Rep. Jeffries can be seen praising Pelosi in the video below: