The 2022 midterm elections are looking to be a tight race as it may determine if the Republicans will reclaim the majority in either the House or the Senate or if the Democrats are keeping it until 2024 and perhaps beyond. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the warning by Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney that the Democratic Party may risk losing the majority in 2022.
Pelosi commented on the recent warning by Maloney, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. According to Politico, Maloney warned the Democratic Congressmen and women who are up for re-election in 2022 that if the elections were held at this time, the GOP would reclaim the House majority. The House Speaker said the warning was an energizing tactic, but she was optimistic that the Democratic Party will retain control of the House.
Pelosi added that Maloney was alluding to the worst-case scenario to manage their expectations and avoid being complacent. This proves to be true, given that Republicans in the House gained 13 more seats from the Democratic majority during the 2020 elections. The Senate also proves to be a tight race as both parties are evenly split, and Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.
“You always have to run from behind,” said Pelosi during a press briefing. “In terms of the specific, where he was zeroing in on: Always run scared.”
Maloney’s warning was meant to energize the Democratic donors while empowering the lawmakers to focus their campaigns on the economic agenda of the Biden administration. The agenda has shown popularity among voters across the political ideology spectrum.
In other news, Pelosi honored the police officers who died after they protected the Capitol last January 6. The DC Metropolitan Police last week announced that two of its officers that responded to the insurrection committed suicide last month within hours of each other. This would make four police officers who took their own lives months after responding to the violent attack by the pro-Trump mob.
Pelosi’s tribute comes the day after US President Joe Biden signed legislation to award four Congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police and other law enforcement officials who protected the Capitol during the insurrection.