Nancy Pelosi announced that she would run for House Minority Leader again. She appeared with newly elected Democratic congresswomen at a press conference in Washington, D.C. this morning.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” she said to reporters. “This picture before you is worth millions of votes. Millions of women’s votes that it took to reelect President Barack Obama. Millions of women’s votes it took to elect a record number of female congresswomen…You are looking into the future of empowerment of women in America.”
Pelosi continued on to describe the changed role of women in American society, and their pivotal, growing role in determining America’s political landscape. She also heralded the fact that the new congress is the most diverse in history and signifies an important shift in the democratic process.
At the press conference this morning, the congresswoman made no mention of bipartisan efforts to come. She did, however, echo the president’s words about working for the people, implying a willingness to look across party lines to solve the nation’s troubles.
Earlier, as she stood with freshman Democrats around her, she told the Democratic Caucus, “The message is clear from the American people. They want us to work together to get things done. And that’s what these folks are here to do. Just like all of you. We may not have the gavel, but as I can see in this room, we have the unity.”
Pelosi remains a strong beacon of leadership amongst Democrats and is an important fundraiser for the party -- a trait that will be needed in 2014.