Long Island Democrat Leading The Revolt Against Speaker Pelosi

The biggest project of Kathleen Rice’s two terms in Congress has been trying to convince House Democrats to choose a new leader.

Democrats vote Wednesday on their choice to lead the House when they take control in January, and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi is expected to win another shot at Speaker.

But Rice, a former Nassau County prosecutor, says Pelosi keeps a heavy hand on caucus decisions and has blocked other Democrats from advancing.

She says a vote for Pelosi is even more of a liability now, with a new majority built on moderate women from the suburbs.

“And I just don’t understand why you would want to jeopardize this hard-fought majority that we finally got,” Rice said to reporters at the Capitol this month.

Many of the newly-elected Democrats promised to oppose Pelosi on the campaign trail, Rice said, and are now being asked to break that promise and vote for Pelosi. That's because if Pelosi wins the nomination Wednesday, she may need their votes when the House meets in January to become Speaker.

Democrats will have at least 233 members (one California race is still counting votes) and 16 Democrats have signed a letter opposing Pelosi. That puts Pelosi dangerously close to falling short of the 218 votes needed, if every member of the House votes. That puts newly elected members on the spot.

"That will make sure it's going to be that much more difficult for them to come back in two years," said Rice. "So what's the point?"

This is not a new position for Rice. Two years ago, she was the first Democrats to support Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan's bid to lead House Democrats. Sixty-three Democrats eventually voted for Ryan over Pelosi in a secret ballot.

The concern is that there's a price to pay if you take on leadership and lose. But Rice's Long Island district is similar to those that helped carry Democrats to the majority.

"You just got the majority back based upon suburban votes," said Michael Dawidziak, a Long Island-based political consultant and pollster. "I would be very  careful about screwing a suburban district at this point, especially if it could get into the newspapers."

Rice doesn't seem to have paid much of a price so far. She's a member of the Veterans Affairs committee, and federal data says more than 120,000 veterans live in the Congressional districts that include a portion of Long Island. She's also on the Homeland Security Committee, and the ranking member of the Counterterrorism and Intelligence subcommittee.

Rice is more likely than most members to work across the aisle, according to data compiled by GovTrack. Nearly 40 percent of the bills she co-sponsored last year were introduced by Republicans. And she got more bills through the Republican-controlled House last year — four — than almost any other Democrat.

Dawidziak says opposing Pelosi is good politics for Long Island, with its concentration of blue-collar workers. Rice has been re-elected twice with at least 60 percent of the vote.

"My guess is it plays well," Dawidziak said. "I think she's right that Nancy Pelosi doesn't talk to those people."