Spanberger sends passive-aggressive message to Pelosi, votes ‘present’

I was all excited when I thought I saw that Seventh District Democrat Abigail Spanberger had voted against Nancy Pelosi’s bid to be re-elected House Speaker.

Turns out, meh, all Spanberger did was vote “present,” which is a huge nothing-burger sure to do nothing in terms of moving her needle forward with anybody.

Pelosi won a fourth term as speaker by a narrow 216-209 majority.

Spanberger as among five Democrats who didn’t vote for Pelosi. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voted for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who would not be eligible for the role of House speaker, given that she’s not a member of the House.

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Spanberger joined Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) in voting present.

The statement from Spanberger on her gesture:

“As the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s Seventh District, my chief responsibility is to fight for the priorities of Central Virginia’s communities – and to support leaders and strategies that can deliver these priorities over the next two years. In a time marked by historically low trust in our government, new voices are necessary to moving forward and achieving real progress. Last Congress, I kept my promise to vote for new leadership upon my swearing-in – and in this Congress, I remain consistent in my commitment to ushering in new leadership. Accordingly, I did not vote for Speaker Pelosi.

“January 2021 represents a crucial moment in American political history. With this incoming administration, we have a unique opportunity to achieve long overdue progress on a wide range of pressing issues – such as lowering healthcare costs, tackling the climate crisis, working towards inclusive justice in all policy areas, investing in our infrastructure, and building an economy that creates opportunity for everyone. While we will not have new leadership in the Speaker’s Chair, it is my hope that the American people will witness a broader breadth of voices in Congress leading in pursuit of these policy objectives.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Central Virginia in the U.S. House, and I’m honored to fight for our district’s families and businesses each day in Congress.”

Story by Chris Graham