House Dems re-elect Pelosi as leader

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Despite lobbying by some members for a delay, House Democrats voted on caucus leadership positions Wednesday, retaining Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as leader.

Pelosi, the outgoing House speaker, easily won her bid to be minority leader of the 112th Congress, Roll Call reported, despite presiding over the loss of more than 60 House seats in the midterm elections.

Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., had led efforts to delay a vote on leadership positions until Dec. 8, citing the party's loss of control of the House of Representatives in the Nov. 2 vote, The Hill said.

"Considering these disturbing exit polls, we believe we should not rush to elect a leadership slate next week, but rather to spend more time to understand these historic losses," they wrote to Democratic House members last week.

Democrats rejected their call for a delay 129-68 Wednesday as the full caucus met in the Cannon Office Building, CBS News reported.

Connecticut's John Larson was re-elected House Democratic caucus chairman before Pelosi, 70, easily beat back a challenge from two-term, conservative Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, 150-43, to be elected the party's minority leader.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the current majority leader, is expected to become the minority whip in the next Congress, while Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., is expected to move from whip to a newly created assistant leader post, under a deal brokered previously by Pelosi.