Pelosi Pins Election Loss on Biden as Democrats Cast Blame in Defeat’s Aftermath
In the wake of Tuesday’s election losses, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has attributed the Democratic Party’s poor showing to President Joe Biden’s delayed exit from the presidential race. In an interview with the New York Times, Pelosi suggested that if Biden had withdrawn from the race earlier, a stronger Democratic candidate might have emerged.
Pelosi, a central figure in Washington politics, reportedly led the movement within the Democratic Party to pressure Biden to step down. Despite mounting calls, Biden only exited the race in late July after a widely criticized debate with Donald Trump. His exit came with an endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost in a challenging race to President-elect Trump.
Reflecting on the campaign outcome, Pelosi expressed regret that Harris was unable to benefit from an open primary process, which would have allowed other Democratic candidates to challenge her for the nomination. “An open primary would have provided Kamala with a chance to strengthen her candidacy,” Pelosi stated. “Instead, we went forward with what we had.”
Tensions are running high among Democrats as they analyze the reasons behind the defeat, which could lead to a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate. Pelosi’s comments are the latest in a wave of intra-party critiques, with Harris’s aides also suggesting Biden’s decision to run was a core reason for the loss. One Harris aide told Politico, “We ran the best campaign we could, considering Joe Biden was president. His late exit impacted our momentum.”
A former Biden staffer, however, dismissed the criticisms as attempts to shift blame. “How do you spend a billion dollars and still lose?” the former aide told Axios. They also alleged that some of former President Obama’s advisers contributed to Democratic infighting, pushing for Biden to exit while opposing Harris as his successor.
Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, weighed in, criticizing those who orchestrated Biden’s departure from the race. He told Semafor, “For those who moved to break Biden and got the election they wanted, they now need to own the outcome.”
Others, such as New York Congressman Tom Suozzi, have pointed to broader issues within the Democratic platform. Suozzi said that Democrats struggled to counter GOP messaging on issues like campus protests, policing, and traditional values. Another New York Democrat, Congressman Ritchie Torres, took to X (formerly Twitter) to blame “far-left radicals” within the party, who he said alienated significant groups, including Latino, Black, Asian, and Jewish voters, with polarizing slogans and proposals.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, criticized Democratic leadership for losing touch with working Americans, arguing the party’s focus on the status quo had cost them. “Americans are frustrated and want real change,” Sanders wrote in a statement, adding he doubted the party would heed these lessons.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison rebuffed Sanders’ criticism, calling it “BS” in a post on X. As the dust settles, Democrats are left to grapple with an uncertain future while internal rifts deepen amid calls for change in leadership and strategy.
