House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she “fears” for Democracy if Republicans retake the U.S. House this November. Numerous polls suggest Republicans will do just that, including Harvard CAPS-Harris poll that has Republicans leading on a generic ballot by six percentage points.
Nancy Pelosi spoke about the supposed threat to democracy during an interview with Time magazine earlier this week. “It is absolutely essential for our democracy that we win. I fear for our democracy if the Republicans were ever to get the gavel. We can’t let that happen,” she said. Additionally, the speaker downplayed projected Republican success and said she was hopeful that Democrats would have a good showing in November. “I don’t have any intention of the Democrats losing the Congress in November,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi later predicted that Democrats would pick up seats and expand on their majority. “Everybody said redistricting was going to be horrible for the Democrats. Remember that? Not so. Not so. If anything, we’ll pick up seats rather than lose 10 to 15, which conventional wisdom said that we would. There’s nothing conventional anymore, and it certainly ain’t wisdom,” Pelosi continued.
Pelosi referenced January 6 as a grave danger to U.S. “democracy” and said the stakes could not be higher. She also referenced President Trump’s “continued influence” over the party to underscore her point.
Despite Pelosi’s predictions, recent polls have looked bleak for Democrats. A Harvard CAPS-Harris poll that was distributed by The Hill found that generic Republicans held a six-point lead over their generic Democratic counterparts. Emerson College has generic Republicans up five percentage points and growing while Cygnal reports a one-point GOP lead. YouGov still has generic Democrats ahead by two-points.
Republicans also point to Joe Biden’s approval rating, which averages around 39%, as further proof that they will retake the House.