Democratic House candidate J.D. Scholten declined to support House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in an interview with Hill.TV that aired Thursday.
“I definitely think it’s time for new leadership,” Scholten told Hill.TV co-host Krystal Ball, when asked if he would support the top Democrat.
Scholten, who is running to unseat Rep. Steve King (R) in Iowa, is one of a growing number of Democratic candidates who are distancing themselves from the party’s House leader.
Many have said outright that they would not back her for Speaker if the party retakes the House in the midterms.
Pelosi herself has downplayed those comments from candidates, saying her focus is on just ensuring that Democrats win their midterm races.
“If they have to do that to win the election, I’m all for winning,” said in May about Dem candidates criticizing her leadership.
In his interview, Scholten also said the Democratic party needed to do a better job representing the Midwest in the nation’s capital.
“You look at who the [Democratic] leaders are right now … in the Senate it’s someone from New York and then in the House it’s someone from California,” Scholten said.
Scholten said the Midwest is an important battleground for many key issues but that Democrats were absent.
“The battle for a lot of things is in the Midwest right now and Midwest Democrats are few and far between” Scholten added.
— Tess Bonn
hilltv copyright
