Pelosi Congratulates Republican Women Elected into Congress

The 2020 election did not give Democrats in the House of Representatives the resounding victory that they hoped for. Instead, Republicans bolstered their ranks and added a record number of women.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was asked about those victories during her weekly press conference on Friday. Pelosi told reporters, “I’m excited that we have more women in Congress. That doesn’t mean we share views but hopefully, we can find common ground on some issues.”

She added later, “Let’s be optimistic and let us see. But I congratulate and welcome each and every one of them. Of course, we have 90. We have, I think, nine or 10 new women coming into our caucus this time… We’re happy to have all these new members and they’re beautifully diverse.”

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A record of 35 Republican women will serve in Congress next year and Republican women hold powerful positions in the House. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is the third most powerful Republican in the House — though Cheney has recently caught fire from other Republicans for not being welcoming enough to the Trump faction of her caucus. Cheney has said she is not going anywhere.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has also seen her profile rise during the Trump era as she has become a constant cheerleader for the president in the lower chamber. Stefanik was named a chair on Trump’s campaign after her outspoken defense of the president during the impeachment proceedings.

But the Republican leadership will likely experience a few headaches with some of their new members. Two of the congresswomen-elect have espoused support for the Qanon conspiracy theory and one of them has questioned whether the 9/11 terrorist attacks actually happened.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has already defended the new members, falsely claiming that they have both “denounced” Qanon and asking for them to be given an opportunity.