Adam Schiff Poised To Replace Nancy Pelosi As House Speaker If She Steps Down After Midterms

The California congressman is reportedly making moves to be the next House Speaker if Nancy Pelosi opts to retire following the 2022 Midterm elections.

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July 29, 2022 12:08PM EDT
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Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, surrounded by her grandchildren and the children of other lawmakers, is sworn-in to reclaim the speakership in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 03 January 2019. Pelosi and the House of Representatives are expected to vote later today on a bill to re-open the government, which is in its 11th day of a partial shutdown. Nancy Pelosi becomes the next Speaker of the House, Washington, USA - 03 Jan 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (L) and husband Paul Pelosi (R) during the unveiling of a portrait of Speaker Pelosi at the US Capitol, Washington, DC, USA, 14 December 2022. Leader Pelosi is standing down from Democratic Party Leadership after two terms as House Speaker. Unveiling of portrait of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Washington Dc, USA - 14 Dec 2022
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is reportedly in the running to be the House Speaker, if Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should give up her seat. A new report by The Washington Post revealed that Schiff is supposedly making an effort to try to take the top position in the House, if Pelosi, 82, decides to retire following the 2022 Midterm Elections in November.

Schiff’s possible bid for the House Speaker position will be an interesting addition to the latest candidates who are reportedly in the running for the top spot. The report says that he’s reached out to leadership in various caucuses to get an idea of if there’s interest in him running, but The Post says that he “has not made an explicit ask for endorsements.” Besides Schiff, 62, other Democrats in the mix for the position include House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), South Carolina Congressman James E. Clyburn, and New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

Schiff is reportedly gauging interest in him leading House Democrats after Pelosi steps down. (J Scott Applewhite/AP/Shutterstock)

Jeffries has been a popular candidate for the role, according to The Atlantic. The New York congressman would be the first Black Speaker of the House. He’s been a Congressman since 2013, and he’s served as the chair for the House Democratic Caucus since January 2019.

Schiff has been a member of Congress since 2001. He’s served as a member of the House Intelligence Committee since 2015, and he became the Committee chair in 2019. He was a notable figure during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment that same year when the House Committee lead the investigation into Trump and findings that he’d pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate future President Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine. The House approved two articles of impeachment, citing Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress.

Pelosi is set to step down after the midterms. (Gripas Yuri/ABACA/Shutterstock)

Pelosi has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1987. She became the Democratic Caucus leader in 2003, and she served as the House Speaker from 2007 to 2011, and then again from 2019 until the present. When Democrats won the House again in 2018, Pelosi made an agreement with her fellow Democrats that she would only serve as the House Speaker for four years, per Business Insider.