Anna Leigh - Nancy Pelosi: Political Powerhouse

nancy pelosi

Anna Leigh

Lerner Publications Minneapolis

nancy pelosi

Political Powerhouse

Copyright 2020 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

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Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images, pp. 2, 30; JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images, p. 6; Matt McClain/The Washington/Getty Images, p. 8; Bettmann/Getty Images, p. 11; John F. Kennedy Library, p. 12; Earthscapeimagegraphy/istock/Getty Images, p. 13; James K.w. Atherton/The Washington Post/Getty Images, p. 14; Matthew Naythons/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images, p. 17; LEE SNIDER/PHOTO IMAGES/Corbis/Getty Images, p. 18; Manny Ceneta/Getty Images, p. 19; Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images, p. 21; Chip Somodevilla/ Getty Images, pp. 22, 33, 34, 35; Win McNamee/Getty Images, p. 24; MANDEL NGAN/AFP/ Getty Images, p. 26; Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images, p. 27; SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images, p. 29; Mark Wilson/Getty Images, p. 31; BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images, p. 32; Drew Angerer/Getty Images, p. 36; Paul Marotta/Getty Images, p. 38; Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images, p. 39; Cover image: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images.

Main body text set in Rotis Serif Std Regular. Typeface provided by Adobe Systems.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Leigh, Anna, author.

Title: Nancy Pelosi : political powerhouse / Anna Leigh.

Description: Minneapolis : Lerner Publications, 2020. | Series: Gateway biographies | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Ages | Audience: Grades | Summary: Nancy Pelosi is the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Houseand shes done it twice. Learn how the most powerful woman in US politics is redefining leadership for future generationsProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019028782 (print) | LCCN 2019028783 (ebook) | ISBN 9781541577466 (library binding) | ISBN 9781541588899 (paperback) | ISBN 9781541583078 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Pelosi, Nancy, 1940Juvenile literature. | Women legislatorsUnited States BiographyJuvenile literature. | United States. Congress. HouseSpeakersBiography Juvenile literature. | LegislatorsUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC E840.8.P37 L45 2020 (print) | LCC E840.8.P37 (ebook) | DDC 328.73/092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019028782

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019028783

Manufactured in the United States of America

1-46769-47760-9/16/2019

Contents

Nancy Pelosi, US Speaker of the House, speaks at the California Democratic Party State Convention in 2019.

O ne by one, the members of the House of Representatives in the 116th US Congress stood up, spoke a single name, and sat down. It was January 3, 2019, and the newly elected Congress was meeting for the first time. The group of US lawmakers had already made history. Of the people elected to Congress, of them were womena record number. This Congress was also the most racially diverse in US history. At their first meeting, the lawmakers were about to make history again.

The representatives were voting for the person who would become Speaker of the Houseone of the most important positions in US politics. The Speaker is the leader of the House and decides what the representatives will discuss and what issues they will bring to a vote each time they meet. For the first time in almost ten years, the majority of representatives in the House were part of the Democratic Party. This meant they would also select a Democratic Speaker.

In 2010 the Speaker of the House had been Democratic representative Nancy Pelosi. In the 2010 congressional elections, the House Democrats had lost their majority position to the Republican Party. Pelosi was the minority leader of the House while Republicans were in control. When the tables turned again in 2019, Pelosi was hoping to become Speaker once more. However, she wasnt sure she would win this election.

Pelosi calls the House to order after becoming Speaker a second time.

In the months before choosing a Speaker, many Democrats had said that they didnt plan to vote for Pelosi. Many thought that after thirty-one years, she had been in Congress too long, and it was time for a change in leadership. These Democrats planned to vote for other representatives instead.

After about an hour, the representatives finished casting their votes. The officers in charge began to count. Pelosi needed votes to win. Finally, the Clerk of the House, who was leading the proceedings, said that votes had been cast. Pelosi had of them.