Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., privately told Democrat colleagues that she favors a competitive open primary process if President Joe Biden ends his campaign.
In a closed-door meeting with colleagues in the California delegation, Pelosi said she did not think Biden could win — a stance she also shared directly with him in private conversation, The New York Times reported.
Pelosi said Biden remaining in the race could cost the party the chance to win back the House, according to anonymous sources familiar with the talks.
Despite being a friend of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a source, Pelosi supports an open primary rather than anointing her the party's nominee. A second source said this stance is fueled by general election polling data that shows a deep well of talent — including governors and senators in competitive states — that the Democrats could draw from.
Pelosi's comments come in the wake of growing calls on both sides of the aisle for Biden to withdraw from the race.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said the quiet part out loud, telling MSNBC if Biden drops out, "I don't think we can do a coronation [of Harris]."
"Kind of a mini-primary, maybe a vetting hosted by former presidents, including [former Presidents Barack] Obama and [Bill] Clinton, would be helpful," she said.
According to insiders, members of the California delegation said their weekly meeting was a "sacred space" and were upset that private conversations had leaked to the media.
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