Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi thinks if President Joe Biden had dropped out earlier, the Democrats might have prevailed in the 2024 contest. She believes his late departure reduced the prospects of the party.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Pelosi clarified that other Democrats could have entered the contest should Biden have dropped out earlier, so providing the nominee with a better start. Biden did not resign, though, until July; he immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. This made it challenging to organize early primary and rally attendees.
Many Democrats are disappointed after Trump defeated Harris to head back to the White House Tuesday. Saying it limited their approach, some Harris aides told Politico they felt Biden’s delay impacted her campaign.
Other party members speaking out are Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders says Democrats lost since they neglected concerns of working people. Pelosi disagrees, contending that voters pushed toward Trump by cultural concerns including guns, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion.
Pelosi’s remarks capture general party strife. Democrats are debating what went wrong and how they might better relate to voters going forward. Re-elected for a 20th term in Congress, Pelosi notes the party needs a new approach to win Americans back.
As the Democrats consider this loss, Pelosi’s comments feed a continuous discussion on the direction and strategy of the party in next elections.