Watch CBS News

Nancy Pelosi Predicts Retaking Speaker's Gavel From GOP

(CNN) -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi predicted Tuesday that she will be elected speaker of the House again after this year's midterm elections.

"We will win," the California Democrat said in an interview with The Boston Globe on the 2018 elections. "I will run for speaker. I feel confident about it. And my members do, too."

The Globe said its conversation with Pelosi came as she stopped in Boston for a Democratic fundraiser hosted by Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts.

Observers have predicted a highly competitive environment for Democrats this November.

Pelosi's assertion that she should remain House Democratic leader came amid discussions about a change in the party's top brass. Rank-and-file Democrats have argued since their party's defeat in the 2016 elections that there should be a change in leadership. Pelosi fended this off in 2016, defeating Ohio's Rep. Tim Ryan handily in a bid for minority leader.

But South Carolina's Rep. Jim Clyburn, a member of the Democratic leadership, said recently that if his party fails to secure a majority in November, the current leadership should go.

In Tuesday's interview, Pelosi made the case for her leadership, arguing that Democrats need her at the table leading Congress and interacting with the White House.

"It's important that it not be five white guys at the table, no offense," Pelosi said. "I have no intention of walking away from that table."

© Copyright 2018 CNN. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.