Pelosi Talks About The End Of Democracy

Pelosi addressed the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and former President Donald Trump’s control of the GOP during a conversation with reporter Molly Ball at a virtual ceremony.

“It’s critical for our democracy that we win,” she said. “I’m concerned about our democracy if the GOP were to gain control. We can’t allow it to happen.”

She also downplayed the idea that the GOP will reclaim control of the House in November. The GOP must gain only five seats to regain the U.S. House, and the party in power normally loses seats during midterms.

“The goal is to keep the House in November,” Pelosi added.

Noting early predictions by some analysts that redistricting would harm the Democratic Party’s prospects of retaining their majority in the House because most state legislatures are controlled by the GOP, Speaker Pelosi went so far as to predict that Democrats will gain seats in 2022.

“They all said that gerrymandering was going to be terrible for the Dems. Remember that? That’s not the case at all. Not so. We will pick up seats, not lose 10 to 15, which conventional thinking predicted we would,” she added. “There is nothing conventional about this.”

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court gave Democrats a victory when it allowed Pennsylvania and North Carolina redistricting plans chose by each state’s highest court to be used for the midterms. The maps in both states are more advantageous for Democrats.

Dem-controlled state legislatures in places such as Illinois and New York have finished congressional redistricting maps that favor their party.

Recent polling, on the other hand, is cause for alarm for Democrats in November. President Joe Biden has an approval rating of just 40 percent according to a recent NBC News poll. Following the elections, voters’ preference for which party they want to control Congress gives Republicans a two-point advantage.