Pelosi: If election held today, "We could win it all"
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told a University of Minnesota forum that Democrats at the moment have a chance at not just winning the White House, but retaking the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“I feel very confident if the election were held today, we could win it all,” said Pelosi. “But, the election isn’t today.”
Pelosi said 28 days left equals 28 eternities and anything can happen, including the influx of outside money into electioneering in the remaining four weeks.
“Money. It’s all about money. And if we don’t reduce the role of money in politics, it’s no wonder people are cynical about the whole political process,” Pelosi told reporters after the forum.
However, a lot of the outside money pouring into three of Minnesota’s most competitive races is coming in from interest groups and political action committees tied to the Democratic Party.
In just the past week, Federal Election Commission records show the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent $198,834 on ads and support for 3rd District candidate Terri Bonoff. During that same period, the National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund has spent just $1,202 on behalf of Congressman Erik Paulsen.
FEC records also indicate the House Majority PAC has spent $314,234 dollars on behalf of Democrat Angie Craig in the 2nd Congressional District. There were no outside expenditures in the past week on behalf of Republican candidate Jason Lewis.
In the highly competitive 8th Congressional District, the DCCC, House Majority PAC and End Citizens United, since October 6, have spent a combined total of $986,460 on behalf of Democrat Rick Nolan. In the same period, the National Republican Campaign Committee has spent $220,700 on behalf of challenger Stewart Mills.
The influx of money in the final weeks of the campaign come as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to fight with the party establishment. In a tweet to his followers Tuesday, Trump said, “Disloyal R’s are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They don’t know how to win—I will teach them.”
But Pelosi says they are banking on more than just disarray within the Republican Party in order to retake the House.
“We’ve had great messengers. Our candidates are superb, I’m very proud of them. It’s not as if all of a sudden this opportunity came along with the disarray in the Republican party is providing. We’ve been ready to win for a long time,” she said.
Regaining the House is a tall order. Republicans hold a 60 seat majority and Democrats would have to win back 30 of those seats to seize political control.
“I think there’s no chance based on what I’m seeing now that the Democrats win the House,” said Humphrey School Director Larry Jacobs.
Jacobs believes the Democrats have a better chance of winning back the Senate.
“But it will be a narrow majority and it’s probably more likely that it will be a tie with the vice president breaking that tie in favor of Democrats,” said Jacobs.
Pelosi spoke at the Humphrey School for Public Affairs after leading a fundraising event for Angie Craig and Terri Bonoff in Minneapolis on Monday Night. Former Vice President Walter Mondale introduced Pelosi and reflected on the election and its many turns.
“What we’ve gone through has been unprecedented in American history,” said Mondale. “And I’ve been around a long, long time and I don’t remember anything like this.”