House Dems again tap Nancy Pelosi as their leader

WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi was elected Tuesday to a new term as House minority leader, despite election losses by Democrats.

Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House, was unopposed and elected by voice vote as Democrats chose their leadership team for the next Congress.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland won another term as the No. 2 Democratic leader, while Rep. Xavier Becerra of California was re-elected as caucus chairman.

"We didn't like the outcome," Pelosi said Tuesday about the 2014 midterm elections. But, she and her team vowed, Democrats will move forward with an eye toward helping the middle class.

"It's really important to continue the conversation about where we were when President Obama took office," she said, before reeling off statistics showing the economy is improving.

The new Congress to take office in January will have at least 244 Republicans and 186 Democrats. There are five House races that are too close to call or going to runoffs in December. Even without those undecided seats, Republicans will have their largest House majority since 1949, according to House records.

Before the leadership elections, Pelosi moved to diversify the Democratic leadership with her selection of Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, 42, to be chairman of the party's campaign committee. Luján will be the first Hispanic to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"We're going to see a lot more Democrats get elected in 2016, and those numbers are going to surprise you," he said.

Luján takes the place of Rep. Steve Israel of New York, who is staying in leadership in the new position of chairman of policy and communications. Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Donna Edwards of Maryland will serve as co-chairs of the Steering and Policy Committee, which is charged with making committee assignments and helping to shape the Democrats' agenda.

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