Michigan Congresswoman Votes 'Present' In House Speaker Vote

Detroit MI

03 January, 2021

8:15 PM

Description

MICHIGAN — Nancy Pelosi was narrowly reelected speaker Sunday, and one Michigan congresswoman did not vote in favor of the move. U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, along with two other Democrats, voted present Sunday. Slotkin in 2018 said she wanted to see more Midwesterners in leadership positions in Congress and that she would not support Pelosi as speaker, according to a report from The Detroit Free Press. "It's important to me that I live up to the commitments I make to my district," Slotkin said Sunday, according to the Free Press. "And I've been pretty vocal about the need for more Midwestern leaders, people who represent areas like where I'm from." Other Michigan officials voted along party lines for Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., a Republican. Pelosi, who has led her party in the House since 2003 and is the only woman to be speaker, received 216 votes to 209 for McCarthy, who again will be the chamber's minority leader. It was the first vote of the new Congress, which convened Sunday with COVID-19 guidelines requiring testing and face coverings for lawmakers. Pelosi's election came 17 days before Biden is inaugurated. Information and reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this report.